The anti-eviction decree approved by the Spanish government following the Maricarmen case is already having its first effects and has allowed for the suspension of an eviction in Sant Andreu. The eviction of Macarena, 'Maca', a resident of the neighborhood, "has just been suspended in court following the document presented by the legal team of the Tenants' Union of Catalonia demanding the application of the new decree approved by the Council of Ministers," reported the Tenants' Union. As ARA has learned, at least two other evictions have been suspended in Barcelona using this mechanism.

At this exact moment that I am speaking to you, everything suggests that there will be no agreement between the Spanish government and its multiple and diverse partners. What is non-negotiable for Sumar and Podemos (with Esquerra and Bildu behind them), which is that all contracts must be extended, whoever the owner may be, is a red line for Junts, with the argument that the housing policy that has not been implemented should not be paid for by small owners.If this were to end like this, what would happen? Well, today the Spanish government would approve a decree in the council of ministers that is insufficient to get everyone's votes, and it will then have a few weeks to continue negotiating it, before taking it to a vote in the Congress of Deputies to validate it. But the housing problem has exploded definitively. And on a global scale. The law of the market, when vulture funds enter, is no longer the law of the market, but rather it transforms into the law of the jungle. And the whole society must protect itself. Even the Pope has spoken about it, during the course of his trip to France: “What is the problem with an elderly woman being evicted from her home?” How is it possible that an elderly woman with a disability is being evicted?, asked Leo XIV. That how is it possible? Well, as that person said: “It’s the market, my friend”. Demonstration yesterday evening in Barcelona, in front of the Congress Palace where Pedro Sánchez was speaking. The social fracture between those who live in properties they own and those who rent is getting bigger and bigger. And now, the people protesting are convinced that this is the moment to change things, because we cannot continue like this. 15 years ago, those of the 15-M movement were affected by mortgages. Now we have gone from those affected by mortgages to those affected by rent. In fifteen years, will it be those affected by homelessness? Because housing is a branch of a bigger problem: that of the working poor, that of households where, with two salaries, it is barely possible to make ends meet or have anything left in your pocket to save. That of wage devaluation. And all of it, aggravated by inflation. This morning we learned that, due to the rise in gasoline prices, this month of September the cost of living for families has climbed up to 4.9% more than the same month last year. Data from the National Statistics Institute (INE). The social crisis is a disaster, a state of unrest. The political derivative is Sánchez's inability to square the circle on the right and on the left. And the PP and Vox make people believe that the day they govern they will solve it.By the way, Maricarmen will return home. Urbagestión, the investment fund that owns Maricarmen Abascal's apartment, has reached an agreement with the neighbor's lawyers so that she can return home. She will have to pay around 30% of her pension, approximately 500 euros (similar to the amount she was paying until now), in a contract renewed for eight years."It is a historic milestone. It had never happened before," celebrated Maricarmen Abascal's lawyer and the Tenants' Union. Good morning.

Maybe it is not the 15-M, but many things remind us of it. "The people united will never be defeated". "Long live the struggle of the working class", sing the thousands of people who this Monday night remain in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, many of whom will spend their third night there defying the rain and the cold that has suddenly arrived in the Spanish capital. They are all clear that until the so-called Maricarmen decree with the at least four requests made by the Tenants' Union goes ahead, they will not move.

Ivan Giesen is 68 years old and has been living for 27 years in an apartment at number 153 of Ramon Turró street, in Poblenou. In 1999 he moved there after living for a few years in the Gothic Quarter, at a time when the rent price in this more central area began to double. "I was looking for a place and I found this apartment in Poblenou, which, moreover, suited me very well because at that time I was running a language academy in the neighborhood," recounts the resident. In 2019, however, the company Maramca SL – owner of the building since 2012 – began renovation works in the building and notified that it would stop renewing the contract with the residents, including Giesen.

The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda has ratified the fine of 3.6 million euros that it imposed on Lloguer Segur for abusive practices against tenants after resolving the appeal filed by the real estate company. The department led by Pablo Bustinduy considers that this company has violated consumer rights by taking advantage of its dominant market position and has deemed the administrative route exhausted.

Celestino Merino is 77 years old and has lived in his apartment on Salou Street in Sants for 45 years. However, life hasn't been easy for him in the last year: seven months ago he was widowed, and at the same time, the real estate company Second House bought his building and now, he says, they want to evict him from the apartment where he has always lived with his wife. One loss is compounded by another, which is yet to come: "I've lived my whole life here, with her, and now it seems I'll have to leave." His eyes well up with tears, but he accepts that if the real estate company doesn't agree to negotiate, he'll have to say goodbye to all his memories in a few days. "It will be hard, I'll miss the neighborhood a lot," he admits. This retired pastry chef is the oldest resident affected by the project launched by Second House, which has also bought two other buildings in the Catalan capital, one on Tapioles Street and the other on Cortines Street. But Celestino's case is not unique: in total, there are almost a dozen neighbors whose rental contracts the real estate company has decided not to renew when they expire, and they face imminent eviction.

This Sunday will mark one year since historic demonstration in Barcelona which brought together tens of thousands of people to demand a reduction in rental prices. The cap was only just beginning to take effect: the prices of new contracts They fell by 5.2% in Barcelona in the second quarter from 2024, but the seasonal rental gap opened an escape route for one in five new rentalsNow, the Tenants' Union, which spurred the entire citizenry to demonstrate, is taking stock of a year in which its income and membership have skyrocketed, and in which it has launched other struggles, such as the rent strike at La Caixa.

"For five years I've been waiting to see if I get any notifications, if someone knocks on the door, or if someone comes up the stairs to kick me out. Now that's over and I feel privileged. But it shouldn't be like this." This is Juanjo speaking, a historic activist from Meridian City, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Barcelona. Its history shows the housing crisisHaving experienced all the stages of this problem firsthand, today, however, he has reason to celebrate: the Sostre Cívic cooperative and the Tenants' Union have announced their first joint purchase, that of the apartment where he lives. neighbor and activist. With the acquisition of the property, the organizations emphasize, a double objective is achieved: eviction is permanently prevented, and the apartment is guaranteed to be part of the public system, for social and affordable use.

The story of Juanjo Hernández is the story of the real estate crisis. This 56-year-old resident of Ciudad Meridiana—the poorest neighborhood in Barcelona—has experienced every chapter of the housing drama firsthand: the rising prices of the bubble, buying an apartment at the worst possible time, the outbreak of the housing crisis in 2008, the skyrocketing Euribor that made vulture funds more expensive, and now, the rental crisis. And it's no coincidence, nor is it bad luck. Since the real estate crisis of 2008, this peripheral neighborhood of Barcelona is called by the nickname of Villa Deshaucio.

From the letter A of Alicante, Albacete and Almería to the letter V of Valladolid and the X of Xixón. The thousands of people who overflowed onto Avenida Maria Cristina in Barcelona this Saturday celebrated with a shout of victory the name of each city that joined the first major national mobilization in defense of the right to housing. More than 40 Spanish towns and cities have coordinated their demands for more solutions to the housing emergency from the Spanish government—and the regional executives—whom they accuse of having focused their measures on tax breaks for property owners. "Today we have made history again," Carme Arcarazo, spokesperson for the Renters' Union, claimed in statements to the media before the rally.

The Generalitat has not imposed any fines against empty apartments since the measure was approved three years ago, according to what has been announced. The morning of Catalunya RàdioIn March 2022, Parliament amended the housing law to empower the government to fine large landlords who had vacant apartments for at least two years. However, since then, neither Pere Aragonès's (ERC) government nor Salvador Illa's (PSC) current government have made use of this power, according to the public radio morning show. City councils such as Barcelona's, on the other hand, have imposed fines for unoccupied homes.