A woman renting an apartment in Palma went to the police to report that the woman who was sub-renting her spare room owed her €400, and in doing so mistakingly told her own landlords what she’d been doing without their permission. A Palma court has now backed them, which raises a question plenty of renters in Spain will be asking.

A routine police complaint gave her landlords the proof 

A tenant in Palma reported the woman she’d let a room to after she failed to pay her last month’s rent of €400, but that complaint to the National Police is how the flat’s owners found out someone else was living there.

The owners rented her the flat for €720 a month, and the contract expressly banned subletting. They went to court and the lease was ended, with the Provincial Court now upholding that decision and confirming she has to leave.

Her own police statement formed part of the evidence, alongside a Facebook advert offering the room and messages in which the owners made clear they hadn’t agreed to a sublet or to anyone else coming into the home.

Her argument that it was unfair didn’t work

The tenant argued that ending her lease was unfair and out of proportion, asking what would happen if a partner moved in with her, or a relative stayed for a while. The court wasn’t convinced, saying that if it accepted that reasoning, anyone could point to a situation like that to disguise a sublet and get round the ban in both the contract and the law.

It added that it makes no difference whether the other person is there for free or pays rent, though here it accepted that payment had been made.

What Spain’s rental law says about letting a room

Under Spain’s rental law, tenants can only sublet part of their home, never the whole thing, and only with the landlord’s written permission given beforehand. The rent charged for the sublet also can’t be more than the tenant pays under their own lease. If a tenant sublets without that permission, the landlord can ask for the contract to be terminated, which is exactly what happened here. So this isn’t a new restriction, just an existing rule being enforced.

It doesn’t mean having a partner, relative or friend to stay is grounds for eviction either. This case involved a paying room-renter in a flat where the contract banned it, and nothing reported suggests overnight guests were the issue. However, if someone is moving in rather than visiting, it’s worth checking what your contract says first.

What to do before letting out a spare room

So if you’re thinking of renting a room to help cover your rent, ask your landlord for consent in writing first, rather than working on the assumption that ‘I’m paying the rent, so it’s my call who lives here’. Keep a copy of the reply, and if the answer is no, don’t go ahead with it.

A tourist visiting a friend in Mallorca was kidnapped, beaten and thrown from a moving van after attackers allegedly mistook him for the man they were actually looking for.

The shocking incident happened in Palma on Tuesday, September 22, with police later discovering that the visitor had apparently been caught up in a dispute involving his friend.

Two of the three men arrested in connection with the attack have now been remanded in prison, while a third suspect has been released.

Tourist was alone when attackers arrived

According to Spain’s National Police, the victim had travelled to Mallorca to visit a friend who lives in the municipality of Palma.

On the afternoon of September 22, the visitor was left alone at the property after his friend had to leave.

Three men allegedly entered the property while he was there.

The men are accused of tying up the tourist before beating him and forcing him into a van. They then allegedly drove several kilometres before throwing him out of the moving vehicle.

The injured man was subsequently found tied up on the s’Aranjassa road in Palma.

Police received the alert and two patrols from the National Police’s Citizen Attention Group went to the scene to speak to him.

Attackers had apparently picked the wrong man

The tourist told officers that he had travelled to Mallorca specifically to visit his friend.

He also said that his attackers had threatened to do the same thing to his friend, who normally lived at the property.

That detail became crucial to the investigation.

When the friend later arrived, police were able to obtain a description of the alleged attackers. Officers subsequently identified a man who worked at the property as one of the suspected perpetrators.

Police went to the address, where they reportedly found the van and arrested the man. He was initially investigated over alleged offences including unlawful detention, causing injuries and threats.

Visitor was allegedly used as a warning

Investigators from the National Police’s Robbery Group then began looking into why the tourist had been targeted.

According to the investigation, the owner of the property may have hired two people, alongside the worker who was arrested first. The alleged aim was either to remove the property’s usual occupant or resolve an economic dispute involving him.

However, police believe the three men may have mistakenly thought that the usual occupant was inside when they entered the property. Instead, they found his visiting friend.

Investigators believe the attack on the tourist was then allegedly intended as a warning to the man they had originally wanted to target.

Three men arrested in Mallorca

Police identified the other two alleged attackers following further enquiries and launched a search operation. Both men were subsequently arrested.

By Friday, September 25, all three suspects had been brought before the courts. A Palma court ordered two of the men to be remanded in prison, while the third was released. All three are being investigated for alleged offences including unlawful detention, injuries and threats.

The case remains under investigation, but police believe the tourist was not the person the alleged attackers had originally intended to find. Instead, a visit to a friend in Palma appears to have left him caught in the middle of a dispute that was allegedly aimed at somebody else.