In 2013, Madrid's governments sold nearly 5,000 rent-controlled flats to private equity investors, including Goldman Sachs and Blackstone. The residents of the flats – primarily families on low-paid jobs, people unable to work for medical reasons, and the unemployed – were told their rents would not change as a result of the sales.

But as some residents' leases expired, they were hit by rent increases of 900%. Now unable to afford to continue living in the apartments, the residents are being evicted. While the private equity funds' actions were legal, residents and campaigners are fighting the evictions.

These are the latest batch of evictions that have hit Spaniards who have been living on or below the poverty line, since the 2008 financial crisis.