Evicted after 13 years excluded from the rental contract: "It is as if I did not exist"

BarcelonaThis Monday, Sílvia Sanz, a resident of Barcelona's Gràcia neighborhood who had lived right in front of the Fructuós Gelabert School for 13 years, was evicted. She moved in in 2013 with her partner, who was officially on the lease, and when they broke up, he left Barcelona and she stayed in the apartment. Since then, she has been in a state of total administrative helplessness and without access to certain public housing-related benefits because she was unable to get on the contract despite having requested it on numerous occasions. "It's as if I didn't exist," she explains wearily to ARA. This Monday, a large police force executed the eviction order despite Sílvia's willingness to reach an agreement for a negotiated departure.

She has a certified 36% disability due to mental health issues, and she used her entire 700-euro Minimum Vital Income (IMV) to pay the rent, which is why she explains that she has no alternative place to go. The property owner, the company Bossant 2001 SL, has "systematically refused to include her in the rental contract, despite her repeated requests," explain members of the Tenants' Union. ARA has contacted the owner of the building—which has 24 apartments and 2 commercial spaces—but has not been able to speak with them. As a result of this situation, Sílvia has been unable to defend herself in court or access any housing-related aid, which has exacerbated her vulnerability.

Shortly before 11:15 a.m., and after almost an hour of negotiations to reach a settled departure, the Mossos d'Esquadra officers tried to enter the property under the watchful eyes of neighbors and some children from the school across the street, who were watching curiously from the playground. Shouting "Out of the neighborhood, evictors," about 40 members of the Tenants' Union blocked their path. "They will surely carry out the eviction. Sílvia told us to resist, so let's resist peacefully, and above all, do not touch any police officer," the negotiation leaders explained to the rest of the Union members minutes later. Finally, at 12:00 p.m., eight Mossos d'Esquadra vans arrived to continue Sílvia's eviction.

Sources from the Mossos d'Esquadra have explained to ARA that they were asked to leave the property and, as they offered resistance, they were removed one by one, identified, and will be proposed for a sanction. "You are about to act with violence in front of a school full of children," they were told by the Union, which could not prevent the eviction. Among the members who tried to prevent the eviction was the former mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, who, as she had done during her time as an activist, joined the protest.

Suicide prevention

"Sometimes I think these people are pushing me to commit suicide. I have lived here for 13 years with a contract and I don't want to leave as if I had never existed," the affected person explains to the ARA. According to the Union, during the eviction, the suicide prevention protocol was activated, "due to Sílvia's fragile mental health situation in the face of this situation." In fact, according to the Barcelona City Council, in February 2025 it already activated the Suicide Prevention Program "due to self-harming verbalizations." The council has noted that the evicted neighbor had been linked to the Gràcia Housing Office and the Gràcia SIPHO since 2025.

According to the City Council, in June 2025 the judge demanded the application of the royal decree on housing, thus stopping the planned eviction. At the beginning of the year, a new four-month extension was agreed upon, alleging Sanz's vulnerable situation. The Gràcia Housing Office re-evaluated in June the option of processing an emergency file and, in parallel, tried unsuccessfully to negotiate with the property owner the signing of a new rental contract. Finally, this September, the courts refused to stop the eviction and set the execution for this Monday.

Two members of the SIPHO team attended the eviction, one of whom had specific training to handle cases with a risk of suicide. The eviction coincided with the press conference that several unions and neighborhood organizations held this Monday to denounce the suicide of a woman in L'Hospitalet a few months after being evicted. "It has been a few years since the Barcelona City Council made public that the SIPHO records an average of three suicide attempts per month, in addition to many signs of self-harming or suicidal ideation," the Union warned.