In Europe, the rising cost of housing is leading to increased public activism, as seen in Spain with the movement sparked by the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman. According to the Housing Foundation, from 2020 to 2025, rents across the European Union have risen by 13 percent, with even higher increases in countries such as Germany, Spain, and France. Sarah Coupechoux, Europe mission head for the Housing Foundation, notes that the housing crisis is having wide-reaching effects, prompting local governments to focus more on regulating housing markets. In Madrid's Puerta del Sol square, a major public space, tents set up by housing rights activists have taken the place of tourist crowds. Since September 27, the movement started by Abascal's eviction has spread across Spain, with similar protests in cities like Barcelona, Malaga, and Seville. These protests center on the high cost of housing and the difficulty of finding affordable homes. In Berlin, the radical left party Die Linke won recent elections by emphasizing housing as a key campaign issue. Meanwhile, in France, presidential candidates discussed their housing policies at the Batimat fair, as the number of people waiting for social housing has reached a record high, with nearly 2.9 million applications pending. A mid-September report by the Housing Foundation highlighted that the cost of housing is twice as burdensome for low-income households. Common causes of the crisis include a shortage of housing supply, rising prices due to limited availability, and challenges in accessing social housing, particularly in countries like Spain and Germany. Without effective market regulation, the situation continues to worsen. Efforts to control housing markets have included rent caps in France, which were implemented in 70 cities and are set to expire in November 2026. Sarah Coupechoux estimates that these caps have helped stabilize rent prices, even if they have not fully stopped rent increases. A 2025 study by the Paris Urban Workshop confirmed that rent caps in Paris reduced price increases by 5 percent compared to what would have occurred without the measure. In Berlin, Elif Eralp, a Turkish-origin lawyer and candidate for the radical left, supports similar rent controls. Although an earlier attempt at rent capping in Berlin was rejected in court, the party also proposes expropriating large real estate firms to provide 220,000 homes to the public. This plan, however, would cost between 20 and 30 billion euros, according to Berlin's socialist Steffen Krach. The crisis has far-reaching consequences, affecting both individuals and the economy. Abascal's eviction highlighted the role of "vulture funds," which buy buildings and sharply raise rents. According to the Madrid Tenants Union, the real estate company that owned Abascal's apartment increased her rent by 275 percent, to 2,650 euros per month. An agreement was reached with the property owners on Monday, but identifying all such funds across Europe remains a challenge. In response, the Spanish government proposed identifying these funds to prevent housing from being treated as a commodity. Additional measures, such as regulating short-term rentals, suspending evictions for vulnerable people until 2030, and automatically renewing rental contracts, are set to be debated in an extraordinary session of the Spanish Parliament this Friday. These proposals aim to provide more stability and protection for residents facing housing insecurity.