Spanish Parliament overturns government decrees on rent after protests over eviction of elderly woman

The Spanish Parliament overturned this Friday (2) two government projects that changed the rules for property rentals. The measures were created after demonstrations sparked by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman.

The Spanish Prime Minister made a surprise appearance at Congress:

“Do the right thing”, asked Pedro Sánchez.

It was a last attempt to convince parliamentarians to approve the decrees that the government presented to contain the wave of protests motivated by a housing crisis. The measures prohibited evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030 and provided for a freeze on rental prices and stricter rules for short-term rentals. It didn't work. Parliament overturned the decrees. The opposition claimed they would bring uncertainty to the market and make it more difficult for people to find a property.

Housing in Europe: in a decade, house prices rose by more than 60% and rents by more than 20% — Photo: Jornal Nacional/ Reproduction

Outside, thousands of Spaniards protested. Demonstrations across the country gained momentum after an 87-year-old woman was evicted last week because she could no longer pay the rent on the apartment where she lived in Madrid. Maricarmen Abáscal had lived there for more than 70 years. Popular mobilization put pressure on the investment fund that bought the property and now the elderly woman will be able to return home.

Correspondents Ronaldo Gonçalo and Júlia Guimarães followed one of the protests in the Spanish capital.

"Living in cities like Madrid or Barcelona is becoming practically impossible. A year ago you could still find a rent for a thousand, 1.1 thousand euros. Today, it's 1.5 thousand or 1.6 thousand euros at least", says a Spaniard.

This Friday's defeat (2) could be costly for the government. The Prime Minister's Socialist Party does not have a majority in Congress and needs other parties to govern. Some members of Pedro Sánchez's own party suggest that he call early elections.

The housing crisis is not just Spanish. In a decade, house prices in Europe rose by more than 60% and rents by more than 20%. In Portugal, Parliament approved, in the first discussion, a reform that facilitates evictions and ends restrictions on the value of new contracts.