Week of Evictions Begins Without Tenant Protections
This Monday marks the start of a new week of evictions in Barcelona, with more than 90 forced removals scheduled across the city. The evictions proceed without the tenant protections offered by two housing decrees that were struck down by Spain’s Congress of Deputies last Friday. The decrees, which briefly came into force last week following public and union pressure after the eviction of 90-year-old Maricarmen Abascal in Madrid, included measures such as a moratorium on evictions for vulnerable families and the possibility of indefinite rental contract extensions. They were published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) last Wednesday but were overturned by votes from the PP, Vox, and Junts.
Some Evictions Suspended, But Many Still Proceed
While over 90 evictions are scheduled in Barcelona this week, not all are expected to be carried out. According to ARA, negotiations between landlords and tenant defence groups often continue until the last moment, sometimes resulting in suspensions or postponements. Last week, at least a dozen evictions were halted in the Catalan capital during the brief period the decrees were active. Earlier this week, a hundred evictions had been planned in Barcelona, but around a dozen have already been suspended. However, a significant number of evictions still go ahead. In 2025, more than 2,000 evictions were scheduled in Barcelona, with over 1,300 executed, according to data from the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ).
Historic Moratorium Prevented 70,000 Evictions
The suspended measures echoed a previous eviction moratorium in place from 2020 to December 2025, which successfully halted up to 70,000 evictions of vulnerable families without housing alternatives nationwide, including 13,000 in Catalonia, according to the DESCA Observatory. That policy, originally introduced during the pandemic, also included compensation for landlords when evictions were legally blocked. The observatory noted the moratorium “needed improvements” but was “the only measure that had demonstrated some effectiveness” in curbing forced evictions. Since the end of the pandemic truce, eviction numbers have been rising steadily, fuelled by soaring rents and housing shortages in major cities.
The housing emergency does not stop.
Tenant unions and housing rights groups continue to demand long-term solutions, warning that the current political deadlock leaves hundreds of families without protection. While Maricarmen Abascal has reached an agreement to return to her home, many others across Spain still face uncertain futures.
Residents facing eviction can seek support through tenant defence associations and legal aid services. The Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia’s regional police, are typically responsible for enforcing court-ordered evictions, though their role is limited to maintaining public order during the process.
Primary sources: Dep. Interior Generalitat Catalunya, dsp.interior.gencat.cat. Reported by en.ara.cat, es.ara.cat, ARA, barna.news, elperiodico.cat, barcelonapress.com, okupas.es, Diari ARA.
