Secures Home with Symbolic Rent Payment

Francisco and Milagros, an elderly couple from Badalona aged 81 and 74, have secured the right to remain in their home at 44-46 Carretera de Santa Coloma in the Llefià neighbourhood after agreeing to pay a social rent of 50 euros per month. The couple had fully paid for their flat over 50 years ago but faced eviction due to a mortgage guarantee they provided for their son two decades ago. The bank, BBVA, initiated repossession proceedings after the son defaulted on payments in 2012. Despite the parents’ property being used as collateral, they remained liable under Spanish mortgage law, leading to years of legal struggle.

It's a partial victory.

Gisela Bermúdez, spokesperson, Housing Union (Sindicat de l'Habitatge)

Housing Union Negotiates Temporary Stay

The Housing Union (Sindicat de l'Habitatge) intervened to negotiate with the property owner, preventing eviction just one month ago. Their efforts resulted in an agreement allowing the couple to remain in the property for at least the next seven years under a social rental arrangement. However, campaigners stress that the outcome is not a full resolution. The couple must now pay rent on a home they believed was theirs outright, and there is no guarantee of security beyond the seven-year term.

Anything can happen. We demand that housing stop being an asset for banks and vulture funds and become part of working-class ownership.

Gisela Bermúdez, Housing Union

Bermúdez denounced the current system as 'devastating', highlighting how financial institutions continue to profit from housing at the expense of vulnerable families. She called for broader structural change, including the expropriation of speculative housing assets to ensure greater social justice. Residents in Badalona and housing rights advocates say the case underscores ongoing risks for co-signers, particularly older adults who may not fully understand the long-term liabilities of mortgage guarantees. The case has reignited calls for legislative reform to protect primary residences from such financial spillovers.

Sources: El Periódico, Nació Digital.