Spain proposes tenant protections after pensioner’s eviction sparks mass protests

Spain’s coalition government agreed Tuesday on proposed housing measures after the eviction of an 87-year-old Madrid pensioner prompted mass protests. The package includes a ban on evictions until 2030, tighter regulation of short-term rentals and a two-year extension of existing leases, Health Minister Monica Garcia said. The legislation still requires parliamentary approval, where Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s minority government depends on support from other parties.

María del Carmen Abascal, known as Maricarmen, was removed on a stretcher from her apartment in Madrid’s Retiro neighborhood last Wednesday. Her father first rented the home in 1956, and she remained there after her parents died. According to the Madrid Tenants’ Union, an investment fund that acquired the unit raised the monthly rent from €500 to €2,650 before reducing it to €1,650, which Abascal could not afford on her pension. Courts had blocked three earlier eviction attempts.

Tens of thousands marched in Madrid on Saturday, demanding stronger tenant protections, anti-fraud measures and an end to evictions when alternative housing is unavailable. Authorities estimated attendance at about 25,000, while organizers claimed more than 300,000. Some protesters later camped in Puerta del Sol.

Abascal will be allowed to return home under an agreement with the property owner, her lawyer said this week. Foreign Policy reported that the deal provides an eight-year lease with rent set at 30% of her pension.

The Bank of Spain estimated the country’s housing shortage at about 550,000 homes last year.