Social protection or mirage? Evictions during Spain's COVID-19 crisis: the case of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Abstract

Since the onset of the real estate crisis in 2008, Spain has experienced a significant rise in evictions, evolving into a major social issue. The emergence of the pandemic precipitated a renewed escalation in this risk. Consequently, social protection measures were implemented to safeguard vulnerable populations. These measures included support for tenants in rental properties and assistance for individuals at risk of mortgage foreclosure. This article analyzes the eviction suspension policy during COVID-19 and its outcomes from a multi-scalar geographical perspective. First, the meaning and scope of national policies are examined. Subsequently, their actual application is tested through an intra-urban spatial analysis of evictions (based on data regarding mortgage foreclosures and oral trials for rental housing) in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It is concluded that the policy implemented has been palliative and not progressive in nature. Although many evictions have been prevented, changes in the measures, the way they have been applied, and the restrictive conception of vulnerability have limited their social and urban scope. All in all, this article, through the use of spatial analysis of geolocated data, aims to offer a methodological contribution to the analysis of housing policies, while also seeking to contribute to the debate on the social and urban effects of anti-eviction measures in times of crisis.