Spain’s government unveiled housing measures after protests over Maricarmen’s eviction. The decree has raised expectations, but its details and parliamentary support remain uncertain.
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Madrid, Sep 29, 2026 22:18 IST
Spain’s government on Tuesday unveiled a set of measures to tackle the country’s housing crisis after days of protests in Madrid and other cities. The move came after the eviction of 87-year-old Mara del Carmen Abascal, known widely as “Maricarmen”, drew national attention and became a rallying point for demonstrators demanding stronger tenant protections.
The coalition led by Prime Minister Pedro Snchez’s Socialists announced the measures after four days of protests centred on an encampment at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol. While the package includes extended protection against evictions, rental regulation and steps aimed at curbing speculation, it is still unclear whether the measures will satisfy protesters, who say they want to examine the details.
The protests have already brought a breakthrough for Abascal. Her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, said she had accepted an agreement with the company that owns her apartment in Madrid’s Retiro neighbourhood and would be able to return home once she is discharged from hospital. Abascal has been in hospital since she was removed from the flat, where she had lived for seven decades. Under the agreement, her rent will be capped at 30 per cent of her income, meaning she will not pay more than the 500 euros per month she paid earlier.
Housing Minister Isabel Rodrguez said the government’s main decree extends protection against evictions for vulnerable Spaniards until 2030, regulates room rentals, imposes a new tax on seasonal rentals and bans “speculative real estate purchases by vulture funds” until 2028. She also said the measures include tax breaks for landlords who rent to low-income tenants, interest-free loans for families buying their first home, and steps to protect and promote public housing. However, the full text of the decree has not yet been released, and details such as how such funds will be classified and the size of the new tax remain unclear.
Labour Minister Yolanda Daz linked the announcement directly to the demonstrations. “This has been thanks to the citizen movement. To Maricarmen. To the thousands of people in the streets,” she wrote on social media. The protests have been driven by rising costs and a housing shortage that are pushing many Spaniards out of the housing market despite strong economic growth in Europe’s fourth-largest economy. Demonstrators have been demanding stronger protections for tenants, measures against fraud and a ban on evi
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