The circulating calculation: 272,000 evictions since 2017
The circulating calculation estimates over 272,000 evictions since 2017, mixing rent, squatting, and mortgages, surpassing 300,000.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Over 272,000 evictions since 2017 and no one wants the figure
A family leaves their home on a Tuesday morning. Two bags, keys on the table, and not a single photo in the news. That eviction doesn't make headlines. The figure that is circulating, over 272,000 evictions since 2017, comes, according to the count used in the debate, from judicial evictions published by the CGPJ (General Council of the Judiciary), a record that mixes unpaid rent, squatting, and mortgage foreclosures.
How many evictions have there been in Spain since 2017?
The breakdown cited in the debate leaves little room for interpretation: 2017 closed with around 55,000 evictions, 2018 with 55,000, and 2019 with 54,000. The lockdown caused the figure to plummet to 31,000 in 2020—a halt in court proceedings, not a truce. Since 2021, the pace has reportedly stabilized between 35,000 and 37,000 annually. Adding it all up, the cumulative total would exceed 300,000, making 272,000 a rather conservative estimate, according to that count.
The nuance no one wants to read: an eviction for mortgage default is not the same as one for unpaid rent. The record lumps them together. And for the person being evicted, the reason makes no difference.
Whose fault is it if the figure starts in 2017?
2017 and 2018 had a PP government. That detail neutralizes the narrative of a single culprit. Some point to the current executive for not stopping the evictions; countered by the argument that the law permitting them is inherited from the Felipe González era. Another participant argues that previously, houses could be bought for less than 80,000 euros in Valencia neighborhoods, and rents were 400 or 500 euros.
We've had nearly a decade of annual figures around 35,000 evictions. They've been published, discussed, and haven't brought anyone down. The data that is striking isn't the total: it's how normalized it has become.
A family leaves their home on a Tuesday morning. Two bags, keys on the table, and not a single photo in the news. That eviction doesn't make headlines. The figure that is circulating, over 272,000 evictions since 2017, comes, according to the count used in the debate, from judicial evictions published by the CGPJ (General Council of the Judiciary), a record that mixes unpaid rent, squatting, and mortgage foreclosures.
How many evictions have there been in Spain since 2017?
The breakdown cited in the debate leaves little room for interpretation: 2017 closed with around 55,000 evictions, 2018 with 55,000, and 2019 with 54,000. The lockdown caused the figure to plummet to 31,000 in 2020—a halt in court proceedings, not a truce. Since 2021, the pace has reportedly stabilized between 35,000 and 37,000 annually. Adding it all up, the cumulative total would exceed 300,000, making 272,000 a rather conservative estimate, according to that count.
The nuance no one wants to read: an eviction for mortgage default is not the same as one for unpaid rent. The record lumps them together. And for the person being evicted, the reason makes no difference.
Whose fault is it if the figure starts in 2017?
2017 and 2018 had a PP government. That detail neutralizes the narrative of a single culprit. Some point to the current executive for not stopping the evictions; countered by the argument that the law permitting them is inherited from the Felipe González era. Another participant argues that previously, houses could be bought for less than 80,000 euros in Valencia neighborhoods, and rents were 400 or 500 euros.
We've had nearly a decade of annual figures around 35,000 evictions. They've been published, discussed, and haven't brought anyone down. The data that is striking isn't the total: it's how normalized it has become.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (33 replies).
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