Madrid housing protests grow after eviction of 87-year-old tenant

Monday 28 - 08:47

By: Azzat Manal

Madrid housing protests grow after eviction of 87-year-old tenant

Hundreds of protesters remained camped in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol on Monday, demanding stronger protection for tenants and action to address Spain’s worsening housing affordability crisis. The protest followed a mass demonstration in the capital over the weekend and the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from the apartment where she had lived for around seven decades.

The case of Maricarmen Abascal has become a focal point for the wider debate over rents, evictions and access to affordable housing. Demonstrators erected around 100 tents in the central square and said they intended to remain there for as long as necessary, turning the protest into a visible campaign for stronger tenant protections.

Abascal was removed from her Madrid home last week after a real estate investment company acquired the building. According to tenant representatives cited by Spanish media, her rent was subsequently increased by 275%, reaching €2,650 a month. She was later taken to hospital after suffering exhaustion, while a video message in which she called for measures to prevent similar cases helped fuel the demonstrations.

The protests have revived memories of Spain’s 15-M movement, when thousands of demonstrators occupied Puerta del Sol in 2011 amid anger over unemployment, austerity, evictions and the consequences of the financial crisis. The latest mobilization is taking place in a very different economic environment, but housing affordability has again become a central social issue, particularly in Madrid and other high-demand urban areas.

Rental costs remain under significant pressure. According to Idealista, the average advertised rent in Spain reached €15.1 per square metre in August 2026, up 5.8% from a year earlier. In the Madrid region, the average stood at €21.5 per square metre, representing a 5.9% annual increase.

The European Union has also identified persistent supply shortages as a major factor behind housing pressures in Spain. A July 2026 Council recommendation said shortages were particularly pronounced in high-demand urban, metropolitan and heavily touristic areas, while Spain's social housing stock remained below 2% of total housing supply, compared with an EU average of around 7%.

Spain’s government has already announced longer-term measures aimed at increasing the supply of affordable housing. The State Housing Plan for 2026–2030 has a budget of €7 billion, with at least 40% allocated to expanding the public housing stock. The government has also said its wider strategy is intended to address a structural imbalance between housing supply and demand.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has now pledged additional action in response to the latest protests. He said the government was working urgently on a new housing decree, expected to be considered by the Council of Ministers, with proposals focused on strengthening rental protections and addressing evictions. The government nevertheless faces the challenge of securing sufficient parliamentary support, after a housing-related bill was rejected by Congress in September.

The government has also been expanding the public housing offer. In September, Sánchez launched a state-owned housing portal through the CASA47 agency, initially listing 800 homes, with another 1,500 expected to be added. Earlier this year, the government announced a separate €23 billion financing initiative intended to support the construction of 15,000 homes annually.

For protesters in Madrid, however, the immediate concern remains the ability of households to remain in their homes as rents rise faster than many incomes. The demonstrations have placed the issue of tenant protection at the centre of Spain’s political and social debate, with the 2027 general election approaching and disagreements continuing over how the country should expand affordable housing while regulating the rental market.