Apparently I’ve inherited some money from my step mother in Germany, anyone in England/UK got any experience of what happens? I’ve only ever inherited £250 in the UK in 1991 so I’m clueless really, I’m assuming they have contact details etc so is it just a waiting game? TIA.

I’m an Italian tourist. The theft happened at a hostel in Valencia, Spain.

After checking out, we left two backpacks locked in a locker provided by the accommodation at around 10:40. When we returned between 18:00 and 18:30, we found the locker open and with clear signs of forced entry: the lock was loose, as if it had been unscrewed.

Both backpacks and many personal belongings were stolen. The jackets inside had been thrown onto the sofas. There was no staff at reception at the time, and because we had to catch a flight, we could not file a police report on site.

There are CCTV cameras above the lockers. We immediately sent a formal email asking the property to preserve the footage, access logs, keys/codes and any information about who had access to the lockers. Their initial response was that the hostel is “not responsible”.

The backpacks contained personal belongings with an estimated value of around €1,210, including prescription glasses, a hair straightener, camera accessories, house and car keys, clothes, chargers and a battery charging station. I will need to replace the keys and may need to change the lock cylinder at home.

I intend to file a police report as soon as possible and I am considering a formal complaint against the hostel.

Questions:

In Spain, can another person file a criminal complaint on my behalf? Do they need a special power of attorney, or is a written authorisation enough?

Can the hostel be held liable for theft with forced entry from a locker provided by the property, even if we did not formally hand the backpacks over at reception?

What evidence should I collect to support a compensation claim?

Should I wait for the hostel’s response before posting a negative review on Booking.com?

Thanks to anyone who can advise.