The eviction of 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal, known as Maricarmen, from her Madrid home after more than 70 years has become a national symbol of Spain’s housing crisis, triggering demonstrations and solidarity actions across the country. Protesters have demanded stronger tenant protections, including limits on evictions without alternative housing, rent controls and automatic renewal of rental contracts. The case has unfolded alongside the eviction of Pilar Lopez, 65, in Palma de Mallorca after an investment fund acquired her building. Lopez spent two months sleeping in her car and now lives in temporary accommodation. Spain’s housing shortage, estimated by the Bank of Spain at about 750,000 homes and projected to exceed 1 million by 2028, has pushed rents higher as construction lags demand and tourism adds pressure. The average rent is €1,176, or about 98.7% of the country’s average monthly salary, according to Spain’s Youth Council. A pandemic-era law protecting vulnerable tenants expired in March after its extension was rejected by opposition parties. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pledged a government response, but coalition partners and the Catalan nationalist party Junts remain divided over rent caps, automatic renewals and restrictions on investment funds.