Protesters have set up about 100 tents in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez over Spain’s worsening housing affordability crisis.
The demonstrations followed protests by tens of thousands of people on Saturday demanding measures to reduce housing costs and strengthen protections for tenants.
At the centre of the movement is 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal, whose eviction from her lifelong Madrid home has turned her case into a symbol of the country’s housing crisis.
Hospitalised after her eviction, Abascal urged protesters to remain determined.
“I’m asking you all to be courageous, to fight, to defend what belongs to us,” she said in a video posted on X by the Madrid Tenants’ Union.
87-Year-Old Woman’s Eviction Sparks Outrage
According to the Tenants’ Union, Abascal was forced to leave the apartment where she had lived for 70 years after a real estate firm acquired the property and increased the rent by 275 per cent to €2,650 ($3,000).
Images of Abascal being carried from the apartment on a stretcher after police broke down the door generated widespread outrage.
The incident has brought renewed attention to housing costs in Spain as the country approaches elections next year.
A 37-year-old self-employed resident, Beatriz Blanco, said she had also seen the impact of rising rents among people around her.
She cited the case of a 65-year-old woman who had moved back in with her daughter after she could no longer afford her increased rent.
Blanco described property prices across Spain as “completely insane” and said the situation was unsustainable.
Sanchez Prepares New Housing Bill
Sanchez is expected to present a new housing bill on Tuesday, following pressure from protesters and criticism over rising housing costs.
The proposed measures are expected to include automatic renewal of rental contracts and further restrictions on evictions.
However, Sanchez’s party does not hold a majority in Spain’s parliament, leaving uncertainty over whether the proposed package will secure enough support.
A similar bill was defeated earlier this year.
The prime minister has urged other political parties to support the new measures.
Tenants Demand Open-Ended Rental Contracts
Protesters are calling for stronger protections for renters, including changes to the current rental system.
Carlota, a 29-year-old protester who spent the night at the Puerta del Sol camp, said demonstrators wanted the proposed decree-law enacted to protect the right to housing and prevent evictions.
Miriam Bue, spokesperson for the Spanish tenants’ union, said activists were closely watching the government’s next steps.
She called for “open-ended rental contracts” to replace the current five-year terms.
Bue warned that protesters would intensify their movement if their demands were not addressed.
Rental Prices Nearly Double Over Decade
Data cited in the report from real estate portal Idealista showed that the average rental price per square metre in Spain had nearly doubled over the past decade.
The average rental price reached €15.10 ($17.05) per square metre in August, according to the figures cited.
For buyers, the average price stood at €2,355 per square metre, representing an increase of more than 50 per cent over the same period, according to official figures.
The housing dispute has now placed additional pressure on Sanchez’s government as it prepares to unveil new measures aimed at addressing affordability and tenant protection.
Source: AFP
