Spain Approves New Housing Measures and Eviction Ban Following Madrid Protests
Spain’s coalition government approved housing decrees, introducing a ban on evictions until 2030, rolling over rental contracts until 2028, and restricting short-term and room rentals.
Emergency Decrees Following the Eviction of María del Carmen Abascal
The legislative package comes in direct response to intense public anger over the housing crisis, ignited on September 23, 2026. On that Wednesday, 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal was carried from her apartment on a stretcher and placed in an ambulance in Madrid’s upscale Retiro neighborhood. Abascal’s father had originally rented the flat in 1956, and she remained there under rent controls following her parents’ deaths. After the building changed ownership in 2018, investment fund Urbagestión acquired the unit and raised her monthly rent from 500 euros ($570) to 2,650 euros, later lowering it to 1,650 euros—an amount Abascal could not afford on her pension.
Images of her removal spread rapidly across Spain, triggering nationwide demonstrations. Tens of thousands of people marched through Madrid, and protesters camped overnight in the historic Puerta del Sol plaza. Natalia Navarro, a 27-year-old actress among the demonstrators, stated that the housing situation had become entirely unsustainable. Alicia del Río, a spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants’ Union, described Abascal as the breaking point for long-standing social unrest.
Legislative Details and Parliamentary Hurdles
Health Minister Mónica García stated that the newly approved measures aim to protect more than five million people. Alongside the eviction ban extending to 2030, the decrees enforce rental contract renewals until 2028, tighten regulations on room and short-term rentals, and ban housing acquisitions by investment firms. García characterized the move as a necessary intervention against speculative housing markets to rebalance conditions between ordinary citizens and corporate funds.
The minority government, comprising Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialists and the Sumar alliance, faces a tight deadline. The decrees take effect immediately but require approval from the National Parliament within 30 days. The administration plans to push for a parliamentary vote as early as Friday. However, the ruling coalition lacks a parliamentary majority and has previously faced blocks from right-leaning parties on rental legislation.
Political Opposition and Tenant Reactions
Political friction surrounds the scope of the new regulations. Míriam Nogueras, spokeswoman for the centre-right Catalan nationalists of the Junts party, criticized the broad categorization of property owners in the decrees. While acknowledging that evictions executed by large-scale investment funds should halt, Nogueras argued that grouping individual citizens who invested savings into a single property alongside multimillion-euro vulture funds is a serious mistake.
Meanwhile, tenant advocacy groups are scrutinizing the legislation. Alicia del Río of the Madrid Tenants’ Union emphasized that organizations are examining every detail to ensure the text genuinely delivers protections matching the demands raised during the protests. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed Abascal directly at a Socialist Party rally in Madrid, confirming that the government worked around the clock to draft the Royal Decree for parliamentary validation.