Briton dies weeks before eviction of squatters from Spanish home
84-year-old Kenneth Jobe battled to reclaim his three-bedroom property in Mijas after years of legal wrangling; eviction was due, but he passed away before it could be carried out.
An 84-year-old British man who spent years battling to evict squatters from his three-bedroom home in Mijas, Spain, has died of cancer weeks before an eviction order was due to be carried out. Kenneth Jobe, who had worked all his life to buy the property for retirement, reportedly lost more than €50,000 in rent while the dispute dragged on.
Shortly before authorities were set to enforce the eviction last Thursday, the squatters vacated the house, and the family regained possession. The son told the Spanish Eye: “They got evicted, the court authorities went down there and the Guardia Civil was on the way, but once they entered they realised they had already gone. We’ve got the property back, but after all this time and with no rent paid, it’s absolutely disgusting.” The squatters left the place filled with their discarded belongings, which they will now have to clean up.
Kenneth Jobe’s family had fought for years to reoccupy the home, a dream retirement for him after a lifetime of work. Tragically, he was diagnosed with cancer over the summer, and the illness spread to his liver. He died within weeks, before the eviction could be carried out.
The eviction delay had already drawn sharp criticism from the family. The son described the legal back-and-forth as a long ordeal, noting that the squatters had claimed they were vulnerable to delay proceedings, a claim that courts threw out in September. “It’s disgusting, my dad got diagnosed with cancer… and he can’t even go to his own house in Spain,” he said. “It’s breathtaking, it literally takes your breath away at how these people can do this, my dad just wants to live out there.” The son added: “The system is broken, especially for expats; if you’re Spanish it moves along a lot quicker.”
With the property recovered, the family plans to renovate the home and then sell it, seeking to move past the memories of a protracted dispute. In the meantime, authorities said the case underscores the importance of vigilance for owners who spend long periods away from Spain. Brits who plan to leave their home empty for any period of time are advised to install high-quality security cameras and an alarm; if squatters are filmed breaking in and the alarms notify police immediately, eviction proceedings can be strengthened.