Reus Resident Faces Homelessness After Solvia Sold Her the Wrong Apartment

Reus Resident Faces Homelessness After Solvia Sold Her the Wrong Apartment

Reus, Spain – In an absurd story more fitting for a comedy of errors than real life, 42-year-old Ana Tapias from the Catalan city of Reus could be evicted from the apartment she legally purchased and has lived in since 2022. The reason? A serious mistake by real estate agency Solvia, which mixed up addresses and sold her a property owned by another investment fund. The Tapias family, who acted in good faith, is now fighting for their home while bureaucratic machinery threatens to leave them homeless.

What Went Wrong: Timeline of Confusion

It all began in 2022 when Ana Tapias, a young single mother, was searching for affordable housing in Reus. She came across a listing from Solvia, a major agency specializing in managing distressed bank-owned properties. The 120-square-meter apartment seemed perfect: Ana viewed it, paid a deposit, secured a mortgage, and signed the purchase contract before a notary. The family moved in, and the next two years went smoothly—Tapias paid her mortgage, utilities, and was even registered in the land registry as the owner.

But in April 2024, shock arrived: an eviction notice. It turned out the apartment she bought actually belongs to investment fund Gramina Homes, while Ana had been paying her mortgage for the neighboring 70-square-meter unit—currently occupied by a "professional squatter" who works as a security guard at the local courthouse and refuses to leave. Ana’s lawyer managed to obtain a temporary suspension of the eviction order, but the court has yet to rule on ownership rights. "I live in constant fear. How is this possible in the 21st century? I paid for my home, and now they’re kicking me out," Ana said in an interview with local media.

The root of the problem lies in Solvia’s gross negligence. While managing a portfolio of bank-owned real estate, the agency initiated eviction proceedings against the occupant of its own property. However, due to confusion over door numbering after recent building renovations (old numbers 6.º 2.ª and 6.º 3.ª were changed to Ático 3.º and Ático 1.º/4), they mistakenly cleared and took control of the wrong apartment—the one belonging to Gramina Homes. This incorrectly seized property was then sold to Ana Tapias.

Absurd Details: From Bank Appraisal to Cadastre Chaos

The situation is worsened by a series of bureaucratic failures:

• Bank appraisal was conducted specifically on the apartment where Ana lives (120 m²), not the smaller neighboring unit (70 m²). The bank issued the mortgage based on these figures.
• Reus City Council assigned two different cadastral reference numbers to the building, despite the apartments sharing one entrance door and one utility meter.
• Gramina Homes has formally registered ownership of "their" apartment and now demands eviction, ignoring arguments about good-faith purchase.
• Solvia, despite official inquiries from the Tapias family, remains unresponsive and offers no explanation. "They’ve simply disappeared, leaving us alone in this nightmare," says Ana’s lawyer.

Real estate experts in Catalonia call this case a "warning to everyone": even large agencies make fatal errors in the digital age, and the government fails to provide adequate oversight over transactions involving distressed housing, often funded by public money.

What’s Next: Fight for Justice

Ana and her son currently live in limbo—the eviction is temporarily suspended, but judges are untangling a web of documents. The family hopes to be recognized as a good-faith buyer, which under Spanish law could protect their rights. Meanwhile, housing rights activists in Reus have launched a petition demanding an investigation into Solvia’s actions and reform of the cadastre system.

This story highlights how vulnerable ordinary citizens are within a system where a single incorrect address can destroy a life. Until the court issues a final ruling, Ana Tapias continues to pay her mortgage—for an apartment she cannot live in. "I’m not stealing anything. I bought my home. Why should I suffer because of someone else’s mistake?" the woman asks.

Ana Tapias’s story is gaining widespread attention on Spanish social media and in the press, sparking outrage.