Maricarmen, protests (and pressure): The housing crisis in Spain

Habout a week ago, Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old, was evicted from home in Madrid, Spain. The case generated revolt and thousands went out in protest for the crisis in housing in Spain. 

Due to the various demonstrations and protests in the Spanish capital, but not only, the government of Pedro Sanchéz has accelerated for today, Tuesday, the approval of a decree to protect tenants from evictions and uncontrolled increases in income. 

Although the subject is not new, she gained a greater weight after the 87-year-old Maricarmen was evicted from the apartment she had lived in since 1956 in the Retiro district of Madrid. 

Here is one point by point of recent events:

• Government pressed to approve decree

O Council of Ministers of Spain met this Tuesday with the aim of approving a decree to protect tenants from evictions and uncontrolled increases in rentspressed by protests that have led thousands of people to the streets. 

Under the motto “not a Maricarmen more”, 300,000 people, according to the Association Union of Tenants and Tenants of Madrid, and 25,000, according to the authorities, manifested themselves on Saturday in the streets of the city and hundreds have been camped since that day in the square Porta do Sol, where they installed close to 400 tents.

The Inquiries and Inquiries Union required the government to approve today, by the Council of Ministers, a “Maricarmen decree”, which prevents evictions from vulnerable tenants such as Maricarmen Abascal, elderly and without an alternative accommodation.

Among other claims, the association also required automatic renewal of lease contracts, without random rises in rent, when tenants are complying with payment obligations.

• Housing camps

The camps in protest for the crisis in housing in Spain extend to a dozen cities, revealed the union association of tenants and tenants, which has promoted these initiatives.

The largest mobilization takes place in Madrid, in the Porta do Sol square, where hundreds of people are installed in nearly 400 tents since Saturday night.

• Regional government gives Sanchéz 48 hours to end camp

O regional government of Madrid, led by the Popular Party (PP) gave 48 hours to the national executive to dismantle “the illegal camp” by housing in the city center, ensuring that he will appeal to the courts if he remains.

“Impunity, illegality and disorder cannot continue to walk loose at the Porta do Sol,” said regional government spokesman Miguel Ángel García, at a press conference at the headquarters of the autonomic executive, located in the square where hundreds of people have been camped since Saturday in a protest because of the housing crisis.

• Adopted package of measures limiting evictions

Early this Tuesday afternoon, the Spanish government approved, in the Council of Ministers, a package of housing measures that limit evictions, prohibit the purchase of houses by investment funds and automatically extend lease contracts.

The measures adopted, it should be noted, also include the regulation of temporary rent and roomsAccording to information released by the Minister of Health, Mónica Garcia, on social network X, and sources of the executive. 

The same sources also pointed out that the approved package sets out extraordinary measures to limit the evictions that will be in force by 2030, as well as the automatic extension, for up to two years, of current lease contracts that will expire before 2028.

The ban on house purchase by investment funds will also be until the end of 2028.

One according to decree approved at the same meeting plans to establish automatic renewal of lease contracts, indefinitely, one of the biggest claims of protest promoters that have led to the street thousands of people in Spain in the last week.

And this way?

Tomorrow, in the Portuguese Parliament, the bill of the Government of Luís Montenegro will be discussed to amend the urban lease regime, which included measures such as more flexible contracts and faster evictions.

With the proposed reform, which completes the package of measures to combat the housing crisis launched a year ago by the government, the eviction can be initiated after two months of overdue rents (instead of the three current ones).

Moreover, there are procedural formalities that disappear: while until now a court decision in favour of eviction opened another procedure for the execution of the eviction, and only then led to the eviction itself, the government's proposal eliminates this step and the initial opinion of a judge is sufficient.

It is recalled that on 9 July, the Council of Ministers adopted new rules for the transition from contracts prior to 1990 to the New Urban Rent Scheme (NRAU) in the framework of a broader reform of the lease and the fight against the housing crisis.

In order to make the rental market more flexible, and believing that this will bring prices down, the government dropped the 2% increase brake on a new contract (in relation to the previous contract), except for people over 65 or disabled with a disability equal to or greater than 60% and annual income less than EUR 64,400.

In addition, landlords may now require three (instead of two) advance and no value limit.