Last month, 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal was evicted from her home of over seven decades.
asserted
Abascal → evict → decades
Her father first rented Abascal’s apartment in Madrid’s upscale Retiro neighbourhood in 1956.
asserted
father → rent → 1956
She stayed there under rent control after her parents died.
asserted
parents → stay → control
The building changed ownership in 2018, and Abascal was offered the option to buy the unit.
asserted
Abascal → change → unit
Since she couldn’t afford it, investment fund Urbagestión bought the unit and raised the rent from 500 euros to 2,650 euros.
asserted
Urbagestión → afford → euros
The fund then lowered the rent to 1,650 euros, but Abascal, who was living on pension funds, still could not afford it.
uncertain
who → lower → it
Her eviction sparked tens of thousands of people to protest nationwide over a housing crisis that is crippling the European nation.
asserted
that → spark → nation
Hundreds of people set up tents in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol plaza, with some camping out there for over a week.
asserted
some → set → week
They are demanding stronger protections for tenants, lower rents and a ban on investment funds buying property.
asserted
funds → demand → property
Protesters say the problem is one of supply and demand — there simply are not enough affordable homes.
asserted
problem → say → supply
Rental costs have risen by an average of 84% over the last 10 years, according to property outlet Idealista.
uncertain
costs → rise → Idealista
The southern city of Malaga has seen an increase of 113%, while Marbella’s increase was just under 150%.
asserted
increase → see → %
Average incomes in recent years have failed to keep up with rising costs.
asserted
incomes → fail → costs
According to the National Statistics Institute, the average gross monthly salary in Spain is around 2,460 euros.
uncertain
salary → accord → Spain
According to Idealista, in September, a 50-square-metre apartment in Madrid cost about 1,170 euros a month — about half the average income.
uncertain
apartment → accord → euros
The Bank of Spain’s latest reports also estimate that the country has a housing shortfall of about 7,50,000 homes.
asserted
country → estimate → homes
The bank’s deputy governor, Soledad Núñez, said the housing deficit could increase by another 3,00,000 homes between 2026 and 2028, crossing the one-million mark.
uncertain
deficit → say → mark
Why is this happening?
asserted
this → happen → ?
Three key issues are worsening the crisis.
asserted
issues → worsen → crisis
First, household construction has not been able to keep up with Spain’s demographic boom.
asserted
construction → keep → boom
About 1.2 million new households came about between 2021 and 2025, driven by an increase in migration.
asserted
households → come → migration
But that same period saw fewer than half a million new homes being constructed.
asserted
homes → see → ?
The 2009 Eurozone crisis, which followed the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, caused Spain’s construction industry to shrink.
asserted
industry → follow → Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed up material costs, and political differences continued to restrict construction initiatives.
asserted
differences → push → initiatives
Tourism is worsening the problem, as more houses are being used as short-term rentals.
asserted
houses → worsen → rentals
Madrid’s tenants’ union, Sindicato de Inquilinas de Madrid, estimates that over 4 million homes and 400,000 vacation rentals are currently empty.
asserted
homes → estimate → ?
Spain’s Ministry for Consumer Rights ordered the short-term rental platform Airbnb to remove about 66,000 unlicensed listings, but locals say it isn’t enough.
asserted
it → order → listings
Limited public housing is also worsening the situation, forcing many young adults to leave their parents’ homes only after turning 30 — far older than in other European countries.
asserted
housing → worsen → countries
Spain ranks towards the bottom among countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in terms of government-owned rental properties, which account for less than 2% of the total housing stock.
asserted
which → rank → stock
Madrid has only around 10,000 public housing units for its 3.5 million residents.
asserted
Madrid → have → residents
Investment funds are further exploiting the problem by buying whatever homes and units are available and hiking rents dramatically.
asserted
homes → exploit → rents
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government calls them “vulture funds”.
asserted
government → call → them
How has the crisis shaken Sánchez’s government?
asserted
crisis → shake → government
As protests continue to swell, Sánchez presented two emergency measures to tackle the housing crisis, largely aimed at providing tenants with more protections.
asserted
Sánchez → continue → protections
On October 1, Spain’s Congress rejected both proposed decrees, prompting further protests.
asserted
Congress → reject → protests
The defeat showed that Sánchez’s socialist government does not have congressional backing.
asserted
government → show → backing
Following the blow, Sánchez called for a snap general election on November 29.
asserted
Sánchez → follow → November
The next general election was meant to be held before the end of next summer.
asserted
election → mean → summer
Sánchez is hoping to capitalise on public anger over the housing crisis to win votes and maintain his position.
asserted
Sánchez → hop → position
If Vox wins, it would be the first time a far-right party has governed Spain since the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.
asserted
party → win → 1975
The Aporia
