Feijóo's claim in Seville

On Wednesday, 21 October 2026, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the opposition People's Party (PP), made the claim at a pre-campaign event in Seville. He argued that property owners were frightened, because a squatter who entered a home holding a pizza receipt could not be removed for years. The statement spread quickly on social media that day, and PP and PSOE accounts traded accusations of lying.

At the same event Feijóo said that if his party reached government it would pass a new law requiring squatters to leave within 48 hours. He defended the plan with a line that became the centre of the row:

“Out in 48 hours, no matter what.”

What the law already says

Entering or staying in another person's home against the occupant's will is the offence of allanamiento de morada under article 202 of the Penal Code. EL PAÍS reports a sentence of six months to two years in its basic form, rising to up to four years when violence or intimidation is involved. The Public Prosecutor's Office holds that a holiday home counts as a home when private life takes place there, even if no one lives in it all year.

Buildings that are not anyone's home fall under usurpación, article 245 of the Penal Code. Under a protocol from the Interior Ministry, police can act immediately in a flagrant case without waiting for a court order, but they must verify the facts. A pizza receipt alone does not suffice, and neither does a bare claim of ownership.

Pablo Feu, a housing lawyer, told eldiario.es that squatting in empty homes has become rarer because fewer homes stand vacant. Most cases now involve vulnerable people who signed a lease and can no longer pay the rent. eldiario.es also reported that the 2018 express eviction law let authorities remove occupants without a valid rental title, which made the receipt tactic less useful and pushed networks toward fake leases.

The platform's account

The Plataforma de Afectados por la Ocupación, led by Ricardo Bravo, backed Feijóo's account. It said squatters use pizza or food delivery receipts to show they have lived in a property for several days, which can delay an immediate police removal. Some people doubt how effective the method is, and the reporting does not show a court ruling on it.

Government hits back

On Thursday, 22 October, Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez answered in Barcelona, calling the claim a hoax and accusing Feijóo of lying:

“This is a lie. It is very serious.”

She said no court would take a pizza receipt as evidence to halt an eviction linked to trespassing or usurpation:

“There are no courts that accept a pizza receipt as proof of anything.”

Later, on Catalunya Ràdio, Rodríguez said the claim showed Feijóo could not explain why the PP opposes a 4% VAT cut on protected housing (VPO), a measure included in royal decree-laws that were voted in Congress and lapsed. She also pointed to tax relief for tenants that could save up to one month's rent a year, and to bonuses for owners who lower rents.

Pedro Sánchez, President of the Government, joined in by citing a message he posted 16 years ago about eating pizza with colleagues at the Luna Rossa restaurant, which he now calls memorable. The PSOE's X account joked that neither the law nor the housing solution works with pizza. Ester Muñoz responded to that jab with a sharp reply.

What comes next

The dispute is playing out in the pre-campaign ahead of the general election set for 29 November 2026. Both parties have accused each other of lying on social media, and the reporting shows no resolution of the disagreement over the squatting law or the housing tax measures.