78-year-old woman: 'Francisco Franco gave me my house'

A 78-year-old woman has claimed on X that Francisco Franco granted her home when she was 15 years old. The post, which includes an insult directed at Pedro Sánchez, illustrates the official housing protection system of the dictatorship.

A **78-year-old** woman states in a post on X that **Francisco Franco** granted her home when she was **15 years old** and that she still lives in it. The message includes an insult directed at the Spanish Prime Minister, **Pedro Sánchez**. The post has spread widely because of its mix of personal experience and political attack.

## The affordable housing born under Francoism
The **Instituto Nacional de la Vivienda** (National Housing Institute), created in **1939**, channelled the regime's policy of cheap and protected homes. The **Ley de Viviendas de Protección Oficial** (Officially Protected Housing Act) of **1954** structured the plans that built entire neighbourhoods in Madrid and Barcelona. **Franco** ruled from **1939** to **1975**.

## How you got a house back then
Many recipients received their home through their employer or an institution close to the regime, not through a public waiting list like today's. They paid a monthly fee for years. The woman in the post, who has lived in the same house since she was **15**, fits that profile.

## The property value that remains
Those who obtained a home under that system saw it appreciate over the decades. For many families of that generation, the house became their main asset. The aggressive tone of the post towards **Pedro Sánchez** is part of the polarisation surrounding any debate on housing and the legacy of Francoism.