Spanish government says it has agreed measures to address housing crisis

Spain’s ‌coalition government said it has agreed measures to address the country’s housing crisis, as the lawyer of an 87-year-old woman whose ‌eviction last week triggered protests said she was considering an offer to return home.Hundreds of people remained camped in one of ​Madrid’s main squares on Tuesday to protest against Maricarmen Abascal’s removal from her home on a stretcher last Wednesday. They are demanding legal reforms including a rent freeze and the automatic renewal of leases without abusive rent hikes.[ How an elderly Madrid woman's eviction became a new flashpoint in Madrid's housing crisisOpens in new window ]Official sources said the ​ruling Socialists had reached an agreement with junior partners Sumar on Tuesday on new measures to curb soaring ⁠rental prices, although they face an uphill battle to secure support in a fragmented parliament.The ‌minority ‌government ​has 30 days from the decree’s publication to reach a consensus with allies in congress. Junts, the Catalan pro-independence party that would need to vote ⁠in favour for the decree to pass, ​said on Tuesday it needed assurances on some measures, such as providing protection for small landlords.READ MORE“We all agreed that evictions – where ‌the property is owned by a fund, a ​vulture fund, run by someone managing millions of euros – obviously need to be stopped,” Junts ⁠parliamentary spokesperson Miriam Nogueras said on RTVE.“Lumping together ⁠in this category ​those who have invested their savings in a flat, a restaurant or a property – putting them all in the same basket – is a mistake,” she added.Abascal’s lawyer said on Tuesday that UrbaGestion, the fund that owns her apartment, had offered a preliminary agreement late on Monday that could allow her return to her home if she agrees to its terms, which would imply paying 30 per of her pension over the next eight years, ‌equivalent to around €500 a ⁠month.This would see her paying a similar level as prior to the eviction.“She should never have been forced to leave,” Beatriz Duro told reporters. “I hope this case serves ‌to provide a collective response to the housing crisis.”While welcoming the company’s proposal, Duro criticised UrbaGestion for refusing until recently ​to negotiate or hold talks. She also accused local, regional and national ​authorities of failing to respond adequately to Spain’s housing problem, particularly evictions that leave vulnerable people without alternative accommodation. – Reuters