Housing protesters camping in Madrid’s most famous square woke after their third night outside, waiting for news from the Spanish government on how it plans to deal with a crisis that has brought tens of thousands of people to the streets recently. The protests and camp in Puerto del Sol started after María del Carmen Abascal, 87, was taken out on a stretcher from the apartment where she had lived for seventy years.
Rising prices and a lack of homes are pushing many Spaniards out of the housing market, even as Spain’s economy grows strongly. The protesters want better tenant protections, actions to stop fraud, and a ban on evictions when no other housing is available. Since the camp began on Saturday, more tents have appeared in the central square. Smaller protest camps have also appeared in other cities, from Seville and Málaga in the south to Santiago de Compostela in the north and Palma de Mallorca in the popular Balearic Islands, bringing international attention to this ongoing problem.
When asked about the situation on Monday, Pope Leo XIV said it showed the need for political leaders to find solutions to the housing crisis affecting many communities. “Maybe we have to insist that political leaders and authorities find a solution to this, because it’s obviously increasing and oftentimes we only react in the moment of an emergency,” he said, after admitting he did not know the details of the case. “But we have to try to see what the root cause of the problem is and how to help.”
Spain’s left-wing coalition government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, is expected to announce its plan at a news conference. Spain has had a housing law since 2023 that controls rents and protects tenants, and allows rent limits in high-demand areas when local governments request them. Abascal, who has been in the hospital since she was taken from her apartment on Wednesday, will be able to return home after a first agreement was made Monday night with the company that owns the building in the wealthy Retiro neighbourhood.
The plan limits her rent to 30% of her income, so she will not pay more than the €500 per month she paid before, her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, told reporters Tuesday. Spanish media said Abascal’s father first rented the property in 1956 and she stayed as the tenant after her parents died, during which time there was a rent limit. The building was sold in 2018, and Abascal was offered the chance to buy the apartment but could not afford it, according to the Madrid Tenants’ Union, which organised Saturday’s protest. Urbagestión, an investment fund that later bought the unit, raised her monthly rent from €500 to €2,650. The union said it later lowered the rent to €1,650, which Abascal still could not afford on her pension.
This article used information from The Associated Press.
