Spain Stands Down on Evictions: New Law Protects 5 Million Residents

Wed Sep 30 2026 09:21:03 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

After an 87‑year‑old woman was evicted on a stretcher, Spain’s coalition government signs a decree that bans evictions until 2030 and caps rent growth.

Spain has put a halt to evictions for the next decade following protests triggered by the removal of an 87‑year‑old woman from her Madrid flat. The cabinet signed decrees that freeze rent increases, extend tenancy renewals, and outlaw investment‐firm purchases of homes. While leftists view the measures as a pivotal step toward social transformation, right‑wing parties warn that landlords could be left vulnerable. The new law is expected to be approved by Congress within 30 days and could signal a turning point in the country’s housing crisis.

Four women and a man shout and raise their arms while protesting at Puerta del Sol in Madrid. — Protesters rally across Spain after the eviction of the 87‑year‑old woman.

On Friday, Spain’s coalition cabinet signed a set of decrees that will ban evictions and freeze rent increases for the next decade. The move follows a week‑long wave of protests sparked by the forced removal of 87‑year‑old Maricarmen Abascal from her Madrid flat.

Health Minister Mónica García said the measures would bring relief to more than five million people, though opposition voices warned that small landlords might be left stranded.

The decrees create an immediate moratorium on new evictions, extend the renewal of existing rental contracts until 2028, tighten rules on short‑term rentals and prohibit purchase of homes by investment firms that the government calls “vulture funds.”

With the Spanish parliament lacking a clear majority, the cabinet has 30 days to secure approval from Congress – a vote that is expected to take place later this week.

While left‑leaning parties see the package as a watershed step toward “economic and social transformation,” right‑wing allies have cautioned that the reforms could tilt the balance against property owners who largely represent their electorates.

For residents who risk losing their homes to speculative investors, the new law is a beacon of hope – and a signal that the Maricarmen case may finally translate protest into policy.