Spain's cabinet approves rent-freeze decree after mass protests over senior tenant eviction
Spain's cabinet approved the so-called “Maricarmen Decree”, freezing rent increases for vulnerable tenants and extending lease renewals, following nationwide demonstrations sparked by an 87-year-old's forced eviction.
The Spanish cabinet, after a heated session with Socialist allies from Sumar, gave the green light to the “Maricarmen Decree”, a package aimed at protecting the most vulnerable renters. Core provisions include a freeze on rent increases for vulnerable tenants until 2030, automatic renewal of rental contracts up to 2028, and a prohibition on purchases of housing by aggressive investment capital. The decree was named after Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old disabled resident who was expelled from her long-term home by an investment firm that raised her rent dramatically, sparking nationwide protests and a large encampment at Puerta del Sol in Madrid.
The government’s health minister, Monica García Gómez, credited the mobilisations for making the decree possible. The proposal now faces a parliamentary vote, where the ruling coalition will need support from its allies amid opposition from the right-wing Popular Party, Catalan Junts and mixed reactions from Podemos and the National Tenants Union.
Why it matters
The decree could reshape Spain's housing market, protecting vulnerable renters and limiting speculative investment.
How this story developed
- Sep 22 Hundreds rally to stop eviction of 87-year-old tenant in Madrid
- Sep 23 The fourth eviction attempt was carried out by police on Wednesday morning.
- Sep 25 Maricarmen was hospitalized and declined the mayor’s emergency shelter offer, opting to remain with family in Segovia.
- Sep 27 Hundreds of activists erected a tent camp in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol following the eviction.
- Sep 29 After mass demonstrations, an 87-year-old woman in Madrid will return to her flat under new rental terms.
- Sep 29 The cabinet agreed to divide the housing decree-law into two separate measures, hoping at least one will survive a vote in Congress.
- Sep 29 A deal was reached that allows the senior resident to return to her apartment.
- Sep 29 The government announced it will separate the housing decree into two bills.
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