Barcelona Metropolis

Blanca on Carrer dels Boters. She moved into her flat on the street Carrer dels Boters as a bride in 1969 and had it blessed. Now 80 years old, the flat has been bought by a lawyer as an investment for short-term rentals. Taking advantage of Blanca’s advanced age and a payment error, the lawyer managed to evict her after seven attempts. Blanca ended up in a boarding house.

Juanjo’s mortgage. Juanjo has lived in his flat on Avinguda dels Rasos de Peguera avenue for 24 years. He bought it with a mortgage that had a monthly payment of 600 euros. After losing his job and separating from his partner, he couldn’t afford the 1,300 euros the bank demanded. Since then, the flat has changed hands between banks and vulture funds five times. Juanjo is fighting to secure social housing.

Cecilia’s family. In 2014, Cecilia and Carlos rented a room in a flat on Avinguda dels Rasos de Peguera avenue. The head tenant, who kept the rent money and didn’t pay the landlord, disappeared in 2017, by which time they had three children. An eviction notice followed shortly after, and they were evicted at the end of 2023. With three young children, the family ended up in a boarding house.

Jordi’s hotel. Jordi Papell has lived on the thoroughfare Via Laietana for 66 years, in a building that is now the Hotel ILUNION Almirante. He watched as the owners bought all the surrounding flats to turn the building into a hotel. But he refused to leave his home. His flat now occupies the space of six hotel rooms.

Yolanda’s hair. Yolanda is 30 years old and has two children, aged nine and five. Separated and unemployed, she has been living for seven years in a fifth-floor flat without a lift in the Ciutat Meridiana neighbourhood, owned by Sareb and part of the Catalan Housing Agency’s Reallotgem [Rehousing] programme. After four eviction attempts, she has started losing her hair.

Lluïsa’s crack. Lluïsa has lived her entire life in the Sant Andreu neighbourhood, where she now resides with her 90-year-old mother on the street Carrer d’Otger. Five generations of her family have occupied the first-floor flat in their building. The owners have kept the rest of the property closed and neglected, using the building’s poor condition as a pretext to justify demolishing it and constructing new flats.

Marina’s home. Marina moved into the flat on the street Carrer del Mar in the Barceloneta neighbourhood in 1934, when her parents first settled there. In 2022, a court attempted to evict her, claiming the rental contract dated back to the 1980s. This legal manoeuvre was eventually overturned, as the owner, BBVA bank, had to recognise Marina as the legitimate tenant.

The resident of the building with the shelter. Isi Sáez has lived on the street Carrer de Tapioles in the Poble-sec neighbourhood for ten years, in a building with an air raid shelter in the basement. One day, she started receiving visits from a property investment fund that had bought all the flats. They planned to renovate and sell them at inflated prices that she cannot afford: €320,000. Although her lease has expired, she wishes to remain in her home and continue paying rent.

Sergio’s exile. Sergio’s family had lived on the street Carrer de Sant Jeroni in the Raval neighbourhood for 90 years. He cared for his mother until her death and, after being left on his own, fell into depression. The landlord used missed rent payments as an excuse to evict him without attempting to negotiate the debt. Now, he lives in his sister’s flat and hopes to return to his old neighbourhood.

Victoria’s story. Victoria moved to the street Carrer de Perafita in 2018 with her son Abraham, paying a monthly rent of €355. However, she couldn’t keep up with the payments during the pandemic, and by 2022, she received an eviction notice. She has made several unsuccessful attempts to negotiate the rent and debt with the landlord, Budmac Investments, a company specialised in buying and developing properties.