Solidarity turned nightmare: Basque woman loses her home after hosting a homeless North African migrant
Estíbaliz Kortazar Errecatxo, from Basauri in the Basque Country, believed she was helping when she opened her home to a homeless migrant from North Africa. After twenty years of work, she finally bought her own house, and to make ends meet she rented a room for 350 euros a month through the homeless charity where she volunteered. What started as a win-win quickly became a nightmare. "He called me a whore, a dirty bitch, and watched porn while I was in the room," she recalls. The tenant kept lights on around the clock, blasted the TV at night, left no tidy traces, and did not pay for electricity. Today, Estíbaliz has lost her home and is staying with relatives, while the tenant remains inside the house."
In This Article:
From saving to shelter: a win-win plan gone wrong
In late 2023, Estíbaliz rented a room to a 48-year-old homeless migrant through the charity where she volunteered. The rent was 350 euros per month. She hoped the deal would be a win-win: provide shelter to someone in need and help cover household costs. But the situation quickly deteriorated as the tenant did not pay for electricity and ignored basic boundaries."
Violence and a failed mediation
When attempts to mediate the dispute failed, a mediator was attacked. The migrant bit him in the face, leaving him with ten stitches. The incident underscored how volatile the relationship had become and raised questions about protections for hosts."
New Year, no enforcement: police powerless
On New Year’s Day, Estíbaliz called the police. But without a court order, officers could not remove the tenant from the property. Meanwhile she continued to cover fixed costs and electricity, with the electricity bill said to exceed 200 euros a month, while the tenant paid nothing."
A plea for justice and reform
Estíbaliz says she hoped to do something good. "I thought I was doing something good. Now I feel robbed, humiliated and threatened." Her experience highlights a gap in laws protecting hosts and calls for reforms to prevent other families from being put in similar situations."
