Daniel Scott, along with his partner and son, lives in Orio (Gipuzkoa) under a temporary rental contract that has been deemed fraudulent. According to the terms of this contract, they should have vacated the property in the summer, but last year they refused to leave and stayed, knowing they were protected by law.
“"Can we stay home then?”, we asked the members of the housing union, and they told us yes, that the law protects us. For us it was incredible: we didn't believe it."
Scott and his family are originally from Argentina but have lived in the Basque Country for several years. They returned most recently in March 2023, after having previously lived in Usurbil, and began searching for a home in the vicinity. They found a rental in Orio, a tourist accommodation managed by the company Basque Local Rentss.
The initial contract was from March to June. However, the tenants intended to stay in Orio and informed the company of this from the outset. The company promised to find them another apartment, but nothing was found, and eventually, they were allowed to stay for another year, until June 2024. Scott believes that the situation was aided by the fact that tourism had not yet fully recovered after the pandemic.
