Spain proposes eviction freeze through 2030 as elderly tenant is offered return home

Spain’s coalition government has announced proposals to address the country’s housing crisis, including a measure that would halt evictions until 2030. The announcement came as Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old whose removal from her apartment drew public attention, accepted an offer to return to her home.

Abascal was taken from the apartment on a stretcher last Wednesday. Her removal prompted demonstrations and brought renewed attention to housing pressures and eviction practices in Spain. The circumstances surrounding the removal were not detailed in the government’s announcement.

By Tuesday, hundreds of protesters were still camped in one of Madrid’s principal squares. Their continuing presence showed that the dispute had broadened beyond Abascal’s individual case, with demonstrators calling for changes to housing rules.

Among their demands are a freeze on rents and automatic renewal of leases. Protesters say lease renewals should not expose tenants to what they describe as abusive increases in rent. The calls reflect concern that tenants may struggle to remain in their homes when rents rise or agreements expire.

The proposed eviction ban is part of a broader response the coalition says it has agreed upon to confront the housing crisis. The plan’s details, including how a prohibition would be applied and which situations it would cover, were not provided in the announcement described. Nor was a timetable given for turning the proposals into law.

Abascal’s acceptance of the offer means she is set to return to the apartment from which she was removed. No further information was provided about when she will move back or the terms of the arrangement. Her case has nevertheless become a focal point for campaigners pressing for stronger protections for tenants.

The protesters’ demands go beyond the proposed pause on evictions: they also want rent controls and leases to continue automatically, without steep or unfair increases. Those measures would address different points at which tenants can face insecurity—during an existing tenancy and when a lease comes up for renewal.

For now, the government’s announcement remains a set of proposals, while demonstrators continue their encampment in Madrid. The next steps will depend on how the coalition develops its plan and whether the suggested protections are adopted. The public pressure following Abascal’s removal has placed housing policy firmly at the center of the debate.