The residents of 243 Mallorca Street, located in the heart of the Dreta del Eixample neighborhood, have decided not to let their situation go unnoticed and took advantage of Sunday’s major marathon to hang a twelve-meter-high banner with a clear message: “Barcelona for the residents. Stop Speculation and Evictions.”
The building, which has the feel of a “second Casa Orsola,” is located in one of the city’s most tense areas, right between Rambla de Catalunya and Passeig de Gràcia. The conflict erupted after the property was purchased by investment firms, a move that has set off alarm bells among the tenants. They fear that this change of ownership is the prelude to a process of “gutting” the building to transform the apartments into luxury housing or short-term rentals, a practice that, unfortunately, has become all too familiar in recent times.
Real estate “flipping,” the strategy to evict residents
What is happening at Mallorca 243 is not an isolated case, but rather part of a trend that the Tenants’ Union denounces as real estate “flipping.” This strategy basically consists of buying entire buildings (often in poor condition or with tenants on old leases), pressuring them to leave their homes, and reselling the properties at inflated prices after minimal renovations—or, sometimes, without any at all. In this block of the Dreta del Eixample, the fear is real: residents report pressure and the new owners’ refusal to renew expiring lease agreements.
The reference to Casa Orsola is no coincidence. That building on Consell de Cent Street became the symbol of the fight against investment funds in Barcelona, and now the residents of Mallorca 243 are taking up the torch. In fact, they are not alone in this battle; recent studies by neighborhood associations in the Esquerra de l’Eixample indicate that the number of buildings owned by investment funds has grown by 70% in the last year, leaving hundreds of properties vulnerable to speculative transactions.
A neighborhood that doesn’t want to be a showcase
As marathon runners passed in front of the building, residents not only displayed the large central banner but also decorated their balconies with signs reading “Mallorca 243 Resists” or “Neighborhood on Sale.” With the support of the Tenants’ Union, they are demanding collective bargaining to ensure that no one has to pack their bags due to the runaway rise in prices, which in the Eixample district already averages over 5,500 euros per square meter for sale.
The situation at this building is a barometer of what Barcelona is experiencing in 2026: a city that shines on the international stage but struggles to keep its longtime residents. For now, the tenants of Mallorca 243 have made it clear that they do not intend to move without making a fuss, reminding us all that, beyond sports records and luxury tourism, Barcelona remains, above all, a place to live.
