Spain’s coalition government has approved a package of housing measures that includes a proposed ban on evictions until 2030, following nationwide protests sparked by the removal of an 87-year-old woman from her Madrid home.
The measures were approved by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, September 29, amid growing pressure over rising rents, housing shortages and the treatment of vulnerable tenants.
The government says the proposals could provide relief to more than five million people. However, the measures still require approval by Spain’s Congress, where the minority government faces a difficult parliamentary process.
Government Proposes New Housing Rules
Health Minister Mónica García said the government had agreed on a series of measures aimed at strengthening tenant protection and addressing what it describes as speculative activity in the housing market.
The package includes extending rental contracts until 2028, tighter regulation of short-term and room rentals, and restrictions on investment firms purchasing residential properties.
García said the government needed to intervene in the housing market and seek a balance between ordinary residents and large investment funds.
She also credited housing protesters for keeping pressure on the government.
Parliament Must Still Approve the Measures
The proposals have been presented through two decrees. They can take effect provisionally, but Spain’s parliamentary rules require Congress to approve them within 30 days.
The government hopes to secure a vote as early as Friday.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist-led coalition does not have a parliamentary majority and has previously struggled to secure enough support for housing-related measures.
A previous decree seeking to extend rental contracts was blocked by opposition parties in April.
Small Landlords Raise Concerns
The proposals have already attracted criticism from some political parties.
Míriam Nogueras, parliamentary spokeswoman for the Catalan Junts party, said measures designed to stop evictions by large investment funds should not be applied in the same way to people who own a single property or have invested their personal savings in real estate.
She warned against treating small property owners in the same category as large investment companies.
Junts is among the parties whose support could become important as the government seeks to pass the decrees.
Eviction of 87-Year-Old Sparked Protests
The measures followed the highly publicised eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman who had lived in her Madrid home for more than seven decades.
She was removed from the property on a stretcher last week after police cleared protesters who had gathered to oppose the eviction. The incident triggered demonstrations and a continuing protest encampment in Madrid.
Abascal’s lawyer said Tuesday that the woman had accepted a preliminary agreement that could allow her to return to the apartment under an eight-year arrangement, with rent reportedly set at about €500 a month.
Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez has urged political parties to support the new measures, saying the case has highlighted the need for stronger protection for vulnerable tenants.
Tenant Groups Demand More Action
The Madrid Tenants’ Union welcomed the government’s move but said the campaign would continue until the proposed protections are secured.
The group has called for further demonstrations and is examining the details of the decrees, including provisions concerning rental contracts, evictions and rent increases.
Spain’s housing crisis has been intensified by a shortage of homes and rapidly rising rents. The Bank of Spain has estimated the country’s housing deficit at about 750,000 homes, with the shortage potentially exceeding one million by 2028.
The coming parliamentary vote will determine whether the government’s proposed measures become lasting housing policy.
