Maricarmen Abascal is allowed to return to her apartment after a hospital stay – Spain is planning a rent cap decree

Maricarmen Abascal can return to her previous apartment after her hospital stay. This is the result of negotiations with the owners that lasted several hours and lasted into the night, the 87-year-old pensioner's lawyer said late at night. The lawyer did not provide any information about detailed questions such as the amount of the future rent or why such an agreement was not possible before the eviction.

Spain's government wants to present a decree

The tenants' union's central demands for the decree announced by the government continue to be: No more evictions if those affected cannot be offered an alternative apartment. In the future, rental agreements must be unlimited; rental agreements that were previously limited should be automatically extended in the future. Rents should also be frozen or at least adjusted to the development of income.

Podemos party calls for expropriation of real estate funds

The parties to the left of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's ruling Socialists join in. The Podemos party is even calling for the expropriation of real estate funds.

In order for such a government decree to pass in parliament, the Basque nationalists and the Catalan separatist party Junts would also have to agree. They are considered to be more business-oriented and argue that the decree should be limited to the lowest common denominator.

Should rental agreements only be extended until 2028?

The daily El País has reported that the government proposal limits forced evictions for the next two years. Rental contracts should be extended until 2028. However, that would remain well below the demands of the activists from the tenants' union.

The protests against the situation on the tense housing market have now spread from Madrid to other cities in Spain.