Spain housing crisis delays family plans for renters

Spain's housing crisis is forcing some renters to delay family plans, share flats or face eviction as prices rise faster than wages and affordable homes remain scarce.

Nadinne Fillol, 38, works as a comedian and shares a central Madrid flat with three other people. She told AFP she wants to live with her boyfriend and start a family, but said buying or renting a home they can afford is out of reach.

The pressure has become a major political issue after the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her lifelong home and her later death. Protesters have occupied Madrid's Puerta del Sol square since she was removed on a stretcher last month after the company that owned her flat sharply raised the rent.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called an early election for November 29 after his minority government failed to pass housing measures prompted by the protests.

Real estate website Idealista says asking prices for homes in Spain have risen about 90 percent over the past decade, while average rents have almost doubled. It said a 50-square-metre apartment in Madrid cost an average of 1,170 euros a month to rent in September, around half the average gross monthly salary.

The Bank of Spain estimates the country faces a shortage of 700,000 homes. Rising immigration and short-term tourist rentals have added to demand, while bureaucracy and labour shortages are slowing construction.

Manuel Navarro, 32, told AFP he earns about 800 euros a month doing odd jobs and lives with his wife and three children in a Madrid regional government social housing flat they occupy without authorisation. Authorities are seeking to evict the family.

Landlords say delayed evictions and changing rental rules create financial and legal uncertainty.