Squatter Rents Out Moroccan Expat’s Abandoned Home in Casablanca

A man is said to have learned that an apartment in Casablanca, in the Salmia district, was empty. He took his wife to live there and paid a specialist to allow him to have water and electricity, through means not specified by the media Assabah, the source of this information.

This wife, increasingly ill, could no longer live in this third-floor apartment. He and his wife had lived there for so long that, for him, the dwelling had been abandoned by its legitimate owners and they would never return. He then decided to rent it out.

He offered the house to potential tenants, with an undeniable advantage: for 2,000 dirhams per month, they did not have to pay for water and electricity. He forged a rental contract, while making a mistake on the size of the apartment, and the deal was done. This sandwich seller now had 2,000 dirhams in additional monthly income.

However, one day, the legitimate owner of the house returned home. She was surprised to see a family living there. She inquired about the situation with her relatives, trying to find out if one of them had rented her apartment without warning her. The answer was always no, wherever she inquired. The case was becoming increasingly murky.

She then decided to turn to the authorities. The neighborhood caïd accompanied her to her own home, along with a law enforcement officer. And they managed to understand the whole story. The sandwich seller was arrested and taken into custody.

For reasons not specified by the media, the MRE abandoned all proceedings against him. But the case was so serious that he will indeed be prosecuted, since the Lydec (Casablanca Water and Electricity Company) has filed a complaint.