MADRID — Spain’s coalition government has approved a sweeping package of housing measures, including a ban on evictions until 2030, following nationwide protests sparked by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her home in Madrid last week.
Ministers met on Tuesday to finalize the proposals, which were presented as two decrees and take effect immediately. However, they must still be approved by Congress within 30 days, with the government hoping to hold a vote as early as this Friday.
Measures Aimed at Curbing Speculation
Health Minister Mónica García, of the Sumar alliance, said the measures would bring relief to more than five million people. Key provisions include:
- A ban on evictions until 2030
- Automatic rollover of rental contracts until 2028
- Stricter regulation of short-term and room rentals
- A prohibition on housing purchases by investment firms
“It is time to intervene in the speculative housing market and start striking a balance between ordinary citizens and vulture funds,” García said. Referencing the recent protests, she added: “Thanks to the mobilisations and the encampments. Without you, this would not have been possible.”
Opposition Voices Concern for Small Landlords
Not all parties welcomed the agreement. Míriam Nogueras, spokeswoman for the centre-right Catalan nationalist party Junts, criticized the measures for failing to distinguish between large investment funds and individual property owners.
“We all agreed that evictions — where the property is owned by a fund, a vulture fund, run by someone managing millions of euros — obviously need to be stopped,” Nogueras told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE. “Lumping together in this category those who have invested their savings in a flat, a restaurant or a property — putting them all in the same basket — is a mistake.”
She said the agreement left “small landlords out in the cold.”
Political Hurdles Ahead
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s leftist coalition government lacks a majority in parliament and has previously struggled to secure approval for housing decrees. In April, a decree seeking to roll over rental contracts was blocked by right-leaning parties.
The minority government, composed of Sánchez’s ruling Socialists and the junior Sumar alliance, now has 30 days from the decrees’ publication to reach an agreement in parliament.
Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez urged political parties to support the measures following the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal last week. “Congress has the opportunity to tell Maricarmen that her suffering was worth it… and that many people will benefit from her battle,” she said.
Protests Continue
Despite the government’s action, tenant advocacy groups say the fight is far from over. Valeria Racu, a spokeswoman for the Madrid Tenants’ Union, said the battle had “only just begun” and called for further protests across Spain next weekend.
“We all have our eyes on the text, on the small print, to make sure this is the Maricarmen decree,” added Alicia del Río, another spokeswoman for the organization.
