On February 26, 2026, the Plenary of the Congress of Deputies rejected (by 177 votes against versus 172 in favor) Royal Decree-Law 2/2026 , of February 3, which the Government had approved to extend until December 31, 2026, the suspension of evictions and removals for vulnerable households without housing alternatives, as well as other measures of the so-called "social shield" (prohibition of cutting off basic supplies, etc.).
Which law exactly has been "said goodbye"?
The original measure stems from Royal Decree-Law 11/2020 , of March 31 (approved during the COVID-19 pandemic). This law suspended eviction proceedings for non-payment of rent when the tenant demonstrated economic vulnerability and lacked alternative housing. It had been successively extended (the last extension in effect was set to expire on December 31, 2025 , according to Royal Decree-Law 1/2025). Since the new decree was not ratified by Congress, the extraordinary suspension has lapsed and no longer has legal effect.
How does this affect landlords?
- Immediate reactivation of proceedings : Judges can resume evictions that were halted by the moratorium (between 30,000 and 60,000 cases accumulated since 2020, according to estimates from Asval and tenant platforms). Landlords can request the continuation of pending legal proceedings.
- Benefit for small landlords : Although the rejected decree already exempted owners of two or fewer homes from the obligation to suspend evictions (leaving the responsibility of finding alternative housing to social services), now no landlord is subject to automatic suspension due to tenant vulnerability.
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