A teacher who has become emblematic of Spain's housing crisis won a temporary postponement of his eviction from his rented apartment in Barcelona. Josep Torrent, 49, a resident of the same apartment for over two decades, was one of the tenants informed that their rental agreements would not be extended after the Casa Orsola building was acquired by private investors Lioness Investments in 2020.
Torrent's situation highlights the rental and housing crisis affecting Barcelona and Spain at large, posing a growing challenge for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's socialist-led government. Spain is grappling with reconciling its reliance on tourism with citizens' concerns about soaring rents due to gentrification and landlords favoring more profitable tourist rentals, particularly in urban and coastal areas.
The country also faces a historical housing shortage, with only 90,000 new residences constructed annually amid an influx of migrants and unprecedented tourism levels, inflating demand as locals strive to establish their households.
Torrent's eviction was delayed until Feb. 4 following protests where demonstrators encircled the building brandishing a banner proclaiming, They will not evict us. Defend Casa Orsola. Torrent expressed to El Pais his commitment to paying his rent monthly, even when the landlord was reluctant to collect payments.
Investors purchase, evict, and amass wealth without constructing or generating employment, concentrating wealth for themselves and spreading hardship, he stated.
Lioness Investments clarified to Reuters that it operates as a limited partnership rather than an investment fund, attributing landlords' predicament to legal uncertainty and protracted legal processes that empower tenants to resist vacating upon contract expiration.
On the other hand, Mayte Jove, an 80-year-old resident, lamented to Reuters that tourist accommodations were displacing locals, making it unfeasible for young adults in education or post-graduation to move out of their parental homes.