Elderly Madrid tenant's eviction fuels protests amid soaring Spanish housing costs

María del Carmen Abascal, known as Maricarmen, had lived in the same Madrid rental for roughly seven decades before a new landlord sought to raise her rent dramatically, eventually settling on €1,650 per month, after which she was evicted and hospitalized. Her case triggered street protests that spread from Madrid to other urban areas, highlighting broader concerns over Spain's housing market. The National Statistics Institute recorded a 12.2% annual increase in the housing price index for the second quarter of 2026, with second-hand properties climbing 12.9% and new-build homes 7.4%.

Advertised rents rose to €15.1 per square metre in August 2026, up 5.8% from a year earlier, and 28.1% of renters were paying more than 40% of their disposable income on housing, well above the EU average. Experts point to a chronic supply shortfall in high-demand cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, the islands and coastal resorts, while social rental stock remains below 2% of the total housing stock. Foreign buyers accounted for 15.98% of purchases in Q2 2026, with especially high shares in the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, and young adults face severe barriers, with 44.3% of 26-34-year-olds still living with parents in 2025.