ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the contemporary housing situation in Spain, one of the countries experiencing the worst outcomes of the global financial and housing crisis. It then examines the devastating mortgage losses and demonstrating the detrimental impact on home-owners affected by this problem. The chapter demonstrates the links between the current housing crisis and certain political policies. To date, however, they have no. accepted responsibility for the consequences of this in the current economic crisis. The chapter outlines the gap in Spanish mortgage laws in terms of effective judicial protection and the right to a home, which is affecting so many home-owners, and also the lack of second-chance policies for over-indebted individuals. It identifies the controversy which surrounds the current legislation and condemns thousands of families to social exclusion, as well as studying the various responses from institutions and the victims themselves.
