“Mexico is hot right now.” The refrain comes from President Claudia Sheinbaum, referring to the country’s rise as a hotspot for both travelers and international investors. But local renters are bearing the brunt of that heat. In Mexico City, landlords looking to capitalize on growing demands for short-term rentals and high-end apartments are increasingly evicting existing tenants — of not just individual units, but entire buildings.
Evictions are often done without court orders; they can be sudden or become violent. One renter, Angélica Gómez, told Bloomberg she was given just minutes to vacate her apartment before men in uniform banged on her door with a battering ram and forced her to leave. Such removals are part of a broader trend that’s pricing locals out of gentrifying neighborhoods. With the city now gearing up to host several matches for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, experts tell Alex Vasquez and Amy Stillman that tensions will only escalate.
Mexico City Housing Production Declines
A drop in new residential projects is creating a supply shortage
Some protests over the last few years have already turned violent as housing costs spike across Mexico City. Rents have roughly doubled since 2015 in touristy neighborhoods like Condesa, Roma and Juárez, and have also shot up in places that absorb displaced locals. Officials are trying to limit platforms like Airbnb, but they’re not the only culprit: The city also faces an affordable housing shortage, and private developers are focused on luxury.
As for Gómez, she and her neighbors have set up camp outside their building in the city’s historic center, where they sleep, cook, work — and protest. All the while, they’re waiting on a court decision or government assistance that may not come anytime soon.
