Desokupa is a company formed by ex-boxer Daniel Esteve. Its purpose is to remove squatters, and Esteve is considering opening a branch in Majorca. He has in fact already been called on to act on the island.
The company comprises boxers and rugby players and also lawyers and female negotiators. Esteve says that there is a great deal of demand for his type of service in Majorca, especially among British and German homeowners. "They find that their second residences have squatters. They arrive, can't believe what they discover and go back to their own countries."
The first occasion on which he was involved with an action against squatters in Majorca was last October. There was a second requirement in that month. The third time was at the beginning of the year. "It was a chalet belonging to some Britons," he says, without identifying where on the island.
On the Desokupa Facebook page, which has more than 35,000 followers, his company is described as "the A Team". Esteve says that the company isn't controversial. "We've had nine denunciations and they have all been archived. We never go above the law. We never remove families who squat through necessity." The targets are the "mafias of squatting". Clearing a hotel in Lloret de Mar with 252 rooms is one of his recent achievements.
The company will act within 24 hours. Members of the company go to a property, negotiate and expel the squatters. "I don't evict. I control the access to properties. I don't go in and remove squatters. When they leave, I prevent them getting back in." Violence is not used. And there is no charge until it can be confirmed to the owner that the squatters have gone. "We have 93% success."