A woman’s eviction in Madrid brought down a government. What can Israel learn from it? - opinion

OCTOBER 12, 2026 16:00At 87, wheelchair-bound Maricarmen Abascal was evicted from the Madrid apartment she had called home for more than 70 years.Her story became a symbol of Spain’s housing protests, which brought down the government, showing that even a lifetime in the same home offers no guarantee of being able to stay.For an Israeli family weighing whether to buy a home, her story may reflect the anxiety that comes with every lease renewal.And when a 30-year mortgage starts to look like a way to stop worrying about next year, we should ask how much of the demand for housing is really a demand for peace of mind.When a family takes out a mortgage because it can no longer bear the uncertainty of renewing its lease, someone gets to count another sale. Whether that counts as a success is another matter.Apartment for sale in Jerusalem (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)The family may have traded one kind of uncertainty for a financial commitment that will weigh on it for 30 years. This is where the neat distinction between “renters’ problems” and “buyers’ problems” breaks down.Sometimes, they are the same family, before and after they have had enough of moving.In Madrid, that insecurity acquired a human face. Maricarmen, an 87-year-old wheelchair user, was evicted from her apartment following a dispute over a rent increase. Her eviction became a symbol of the housing protests.Today, Spain’s prime minister announced a snap election after demonstrations that brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets over the country’s housing situation.Israel does not need to copy every provision of Spain’s housing policies to understand why this story matters to people saving for a down payment here. It is easy to tell a family that cannot afford to buy to keep renting.It is harder to explain how they are supposed to plan their lives that way. Can they enroll their child in the neighborhood school? Is it worth investing in their home? Will they still be able to afford the rent next year?When the answers depend on each lease renewal, buying a home can become less about improving a family’s financial position and more about escaping uncertainty.That is why any program designed to help a family buy a home must also answer a less headline-friendly question: What options does that family have if it does not buy?If the answer is another short lease and another possible move, assistance with buying addresses only half the problem.Being able to stay in the same neighborhood and know how the rent will change should not be a privilege reserved for those who can afford a down payment.Making life easierLong-term rental housing already exists in Israel, but the government needs to continue expanding it and make it a viable option for more families.That means encouraging the construction of homes specifically for rent and offering incentives to private landlords willing to commit to leases lasting several years.Those incentives should come with clear conditions: a guaranteed tenancy period, an agreed formula for rent adjustments, and termination provisions that protect both parties.Tenants could plan their lives, while landlords would have a financial reason to make a long-term commitment. As this option becomes more widely available, fewer families would feel pressured into buying.Ultimately, stable rental housing does not promise an immediate fall in home prices, and protecting one tenant does not automatically protect another.Housing supply must also grow, and progress should be measured by homes actually delivered and the real cost of living in them. The number of transactions alone does not tell us how many families have found a housing solution they can afford in the long term.Success can also mean a family deciding not to buy this year without having to move to yet another rental as a result. As long as ownership is seen as the only route to stability, we should be cautious about celebrating every rise in home sales.Behind some of those purchases may be someone who cannot necessarily afford the commitment over the long term, but is simply afraid of eviction, a rent increase, or a landlord’s decision not to renew the lease.The writer is an international real estate expert and a former member of Israel’s parliament and its Economic Affairs Committee.Follow us on Google