Spain’s coalition government has approved a package of housing measures, including a proposed ban on evictions until 2030, after protests intensified following the removal of an 87-year-old woman from her Madrid home.
The measures were approved by ministers on Tuesday in two decrees that take effect immediately. However, they require approval from Congress within 30 days to remain in force. The government hopes parliament could vote on the package as early as Friday.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s minority coalition, formed by the Socialists and the Sumar alliance, does not hold a parliamentary majority. It has previously struggled to secure support from right-leaning parties for housing legislation; a proposal to extend rental contracts was blocked in April.
Measures face parliamentary test
Health Minister Mónica García said the package would provide relief to more than five million people. Alongside the eviction ban, the decrees include extending rental contracts until 2028, tighter rules for short-term and room rentals, and a ban on investment firms buying housing.
García said the measures were intended to curb speculation in the housing market and thanked protesters and those taking part in encampments. Pablo Bustinduy, the social rights minister, described the proposals as an initial step toward wider economic and social change.
Opposition to the plan has already emerged. Míriam Nogueras of the centre-right Catalan nationalist Junts party said evictions involving large investment funds should be stopped, but argued that small property owners should not be treated in the same way as major investors.
Eviction became focus of protests
The measures followed demonstrations in Madrid and other cities, including Barcelona, Seville, Malaga and Cadiz. Thousands marched in Madrid on Saturday, calling for stronger tenant protections amid housing shortages and rising rents. Hundreds of tents have been set up in the Puerta del Sol square.
The protests were sparked by the case of Maricarmen Abascal, who was removed from her Madrid flat on a stretcher last week and later admitted to hospital. Her lawyer said she could return to the home after reaching an agreement on Monday with the company that owns the property, although Abascal had not yet signed the deal.
Abascal’s father rented the flat in 1956. She remained there after her parents died under a capped-rent arrangement until investment company Urbagestión bought the property in 2018 and raised the rent to more than her monthly pension, according to the report.
Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez urged lawmakers to back the decrees, while tenant organisers said they would examine the details closely and called for further demonstrations. The Bank of Spain estimates the country is short of 700,000 homes. National statistics institute INE figures showed house prices rose 12.2% in the year to the second quarter of 2026.
Source: BBC News
