Spain

Rapporteur sends nine communications during the 2nd semester of 2013

During the second semester of 2013, Rapporteur Raquel Rolnik sent nine communications and received seven country responses. Find out more!

Leading the Charge Against Spain’s Mortgage Crisis

A few years ago, Ms. Colau was an unknown in Spain. But these days, her work defending homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgages has made her a household name, and she is often stopped on the street by strangers offering encouragement.

Spain Top Court Freezes Andalusia Anti-Eviction Decree

Spain’s constitutional court has suspended a regional decree that makes it harder for banks to conduct evictions and penalizes lenders and real-estate firms for holding vacant properties, a spokeswoman for the government of Andalusia said Thursday.

Spain Suspends Anti-eviction Measures

Spain’s Constitutional Court on Thursday suspended the use of measures aimed at preventing banks from evicting mortgage defaulters from their homes until it makes a final ruling on the matter.

Financial crises should not become human rights crises

The financial crisis in itself is not what we all are concerned about. In fact, we could make the case that crises are just inherent to capitalism. The problem began when the financial crisis turned into a human rights crisis. We must pay try to understand and respond to the material and ideological underpinnings of this transformation.

Spain’s housing crisis

Spain’s Senate is debating new laws to give cash-strapped Spaniards more time to meet mortgage repayments and avoid eviction. Under the changes, banks would have to wait two years before repossessing the homes of disadvantaged families. For now, Spain finds itself continuing to evict people from their homes, even as millions of properties sit empty. Two very different solutions to this problem are now arising.

Special Rapporteur sends 19 communications during the second semester of 2012

Check the communications sent by the Special Rapporteurs, as well as the answers received from the Member States, referring to the second half of 2012.

Spain approves new eviction law

Spain’s Parliament on Thursday approved a new mortgage law it hopes will calm a national outcry over the dramatic increase in evictions in recent years, but anti-eviction lobbyists said the law was insufficient. Repossessions because of mortgage nonpayment have soared since Spain’s economic crisis began in 2008. Spaniards are angry that most people still have to pay off their mortgage debt even after eviction.

Housing is a right! Protest and solidarity with the Spanish being evicted

Protest will be head today in front of the Spanish embassy in Paris, London, Edinburg, Berlin, Lisbon in solidarity against evictions and in support to the People’s Legislative Initiative (ILP), the citizens’ response to Spain’s mortgage lending fraud. Please disseminate!

European court says tough Spanish eviction laws illegal

The European Court of Justice ruled Thursday that harsh property repossession laws in Spain that have led to hundreds of thousands of evictions during the country’s deep recession violate EU laws on consumer protection.