Spain’s government has approved measures to address the housing crisis, including a ban on evictions for vulnerable tenants until 2030, following public protests over an elderly woman's eviction. The cabinet approved two decrees that need parliamentary approval; one aims to regulate temporary rentals and ban vulture funds from buying property until 2028, while the other automatically renames current rental agreements. Protests continue in Madrid as activists demand more extensive reforms like rent freezes and automatic lease renewals without significant rent increases.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-29,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Spain's parliament rejected emergency government decrees aimed at addressing the country's housing crisis, after hundreds of protesters gathered outside in Madrid. The measures, which included banning evictions for vulnerable tenants until 2030 and extending rental lease agreements, were defeated due to opposition from right-wing parties like the People’s party, far-right Vox, and the Catalan pro-independence Junts party. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's minority government, relying on support from smaller parties, failed to secure enough votes: the first decree was rejected by 178 votes to 172, and the second by 184 to 166. The crisis intensified after Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman, was evicted from her Madrid apartment, leading to widespread protests across Spain. Sanchez urged lawmakers to "do the right thing," but the defeat has increased speculation that he might call for early elections, which were not scheduled until next summer.
Written for “Spanish Housing Crisis MeasuresRejected” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 10 other(s) covering the same event.
Spain’s Socialist Workers’ party-led coalition government has approved a range of measures aimed at easing the country’s housing crisis, including extending a ban on evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, after a public outcry over the eviction of an 87-year-old disabled woman from her Madrid apartment last week.
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government → lead → apartment
Two decrees have been approved by cabinet but will need to be approved in Congress, where the coalition lacks a majority.
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coalition → approve → majority
The government has requested a special parliamentary session on Friday in the hope of getting the decrees passed as soon as possible.
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decrees → request → hope
Although the fine print has yet be revealed, the main decree includes: extending restrictions on evictions of vulnerable tenants to 2030; regulating temporary lettings and lettings by room; a ban on so-called vulture funds buying property until 2028, plus a two-year extension on current rental agreements that are due to expire at the end of 2028.
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that → reveal → 2028
A separate agreement was reached on the automatic renovation of rental agreements.
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agreement → reach → agreements
Hundreds of people remained camped out in one of Madrid’s main squares on Tuesday to protest against Maricarmen Abascal’s removal from her home on a stretcher last Wednesday.
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Hundreds → remain → stretcher
They are demanding legal reforms including a rent freeze and the automatic renewal of leases without abusive rent hikes.
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They → demand → hikes
It is believed that the first decree has the approval of the conservative Catalan and Basque parties, which previously opposed the government’s housing overhauls, but they are likely to vote down the second decree.
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they → believe → decree
Mónica García, the health minister, celebrated the decision, saying: “We’ve achieved something that even a month ago was unthinkable.”
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that → celebrate → something
She added: “It’s time to intervene in the speculative housing market and begin to restore the balance between citizens and vulture funds.”
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It → add → citizens
The Tenants’ Union, which has been the driving force behind the demand for changes to the housing law, as well as the occupation of Madrid’s central Puerta del Sol by protesters in recent days, said it needed to read the small print but opposed the policy of dividing the issue into separate decrees.
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it → drive → decrees
“It’s a tactic of tearing something into shreds so that all that’s left are scraps,” said Alicia Del Río, a union spokesperson in Madrid.
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Río → ’ → Madrid
“The union demands the implementation of the Maricarmen decree in its entirety,” she said, referring to a set of changes drawn up by the union.
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she → demand → union
“They have to accept what people are demanding.
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people → have → what
The government has 30 days from the decree’s publication to reach a consensus with allies in congress.
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government → have → congress
Junts, the Catalan pro-independence party that would need to back the decree for it to pass, said on Tuesday it was still far from agreeing to it and wanted protection for small landlords, who make up the vast majority of property owners in Spain.
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who → need → Spain
“Owning two properties isn’t the same as owning entire buildings,” said Míriam Nogueras, Junts’ spokesperson in congress.
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Nogueras → own → congress
“But here they’re not making any distinction between the two.”
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they → make → two
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the conservative People’s party, dismissed the proposals.
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Feijóo → dismiss → proposals
“The government has created a problem that didn’t exist when it took office,” he said.
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he → create → office
“A problem that was created over eight years can’t be solved in five minutes.”
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that → create → minutes
Urbagestión, the company whose eviction of Abascal last Wednesday forced the housing crisis to the top of the political agenda, has said Abascal can return to her apartment at a rent that will not exceed 30% of her income.
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that → force → income
On Tuesday, she accepted the offer and will pay €533 (£457) a month – less than a third of the original demand of €1,650 that had led to her eviction.
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that → accept → eviction
Underlining the lack of affordable housing, Ada Colau, a housing activist and a former Barcelona mayor, recently revealed that she has had to move out of her rented apartment after 15 years because it became impossible to pay the rent with a single income since she separated from her husband.
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she → underline → husband
Colau, who renounced most of her mayoral salary during her eight years in office, said the market was geared towards dual incomes, whether couples or people sharing, adding that she had gone to live with a relative.
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she → renounce → relative
The Aporia
