A hot tub belonging to the former owners of a property on Austurvegur in Grindavík was destroyed along with the house it stood beside, after the real estate company handling the demolition repeatedly refused to let them retrieve it, according to Iceland Monitor (mbl.is English).
The case adds a personal dimension to the ongoing clearance of properties in Grindavík, the Reykjanes Peninsula fishing town that was largely evacuated in late 2023 following a series of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. For many displaced residents, the loss of personal belongings during demolition has compounded an already difficult process of displacement and uncertainty.
The hot tub stood on a deck outside the house. It was not fixed infrastructure but a moveable item the owners say they asked to collect on multiple occasions before demolition crews moved in.
How the Grindavík hot tub dispute unfolded
The former owners say they contacted the real estate company Þórkatla more than once to request access to the property so they could remove the hot tub before the house was torn down. Each request was denied. When demolition took place, the hot tub went with it — sent to scrap along with the structure itself.
Þórkatla has been involved in the management and sale of properties in Grindavík following the evacuation and the damage caused by volcanic activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The company’s role has placed it at the centre of decisions affecting dozens of former residents who lost their homes to the disaster or to the subsequent buyout programme run by Icelandic authorities.
The loss of a hot tub may sound minor. But in Iceland, where outdoor hot tubs — known as heitir pottar — are a fixture of domestic life and often represent a significant household investment, the destruction of one without the owner’s consent carries real weight. A quality outdoor hot tub can cost several hundred thousand króna.
Grindavík property clearances and what owners have faced
Grindavík sits roughly 50 kilometres southwest of Reykjavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula, a geologically active stretch of lava fields and fissure zones. The town of around 3,000 people was evacuated in November 2023 as seismic activity intensified beneath the peninsula. Subsequent eruptions caused lava flows that destroyed homes and infrastructure on the town’s northern edge.
The Icelandic government established a buyout scheme allowing residents to sell their properties to the state, and many did. Demolition of structurally compromised or purchased homes has been ongoing since. The process has not been without friction. Some former residents have raised concerns about the handling of personal property left inside or attached to houses scheduled for removal.
This case — a hot tub on an outdoor deck, visible and accessible, denied to its owners before demolition — illustrates the kind of dispute that can arise when institutional processes move faster than individual circumstances allow. The owners had not abandoned the item. They had asked for it, more than once.
Whether the denial was a matter of policy, liability concerns, or administrative oversight is not clear from current reports. Þórkatla has not publicly commented on the specific case, based on available information.
What former Grindavík residents can expect going forward
The situation is likely to draw renewed attention to how demolition contracts in the Grindavík area handle personal property, and whether former owners have any formal avenue to seek compensation when belongings are destroyed during the process. Iceland’s consumer protection framework and property law may offer some recourse, though the specifics would depend on the terms under which each property was handed over or acquired.
For the families still navigating life after Grindavík — many of them settled in Reykjavík or nearby towns on the peninsula — disputes like this one are a reminder that the recovery process remains unfinished, and that the human cost of the eruptions extends well beyond the lava line.
Whether the former owners pursue any formal complaint or compensation claim against Þórkatla remains to be seen.
Original source: Iceland Monitor (mbl.is English)
