Spanish Parliament Rejects Housing Intervention Plans as Mass Protests Intensify
Both proposed decrees targeting the housing affordability crisis were rejected, with critics warning the measures could tighten supply and raise prices.
The Spanish government failed to secure the needed votes to ratify its emergency measures addressing the housing affordability crisis, as protests erupted last month after the forced eviction of an 87‑year‑old woman.
The two separate decrees, designed to confront a growing housing affordability crisis, were rejected by the overwhelming majority of the 350‑seat lower house during its final vote on Friday.
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The move represents a major setback for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, whose administration now endures intense public scrutiny driven by large‑scale demonstrations outside the legislature.
The first decree aimed to halt evictions of vulnerable occupants, curb speculative property ownership, impose stricter limits on short‑term rentals, and incentivize renting and new housing construction through tax benefits.
The second proposal called for existing leases to automatically extend upon termination, effectively rendering them indefinite, and would require a landlord to pay twelve months’ worth of rent to trigger any break clause.
The right‑wing Catalan independence party Junts boycotted the housing proposals, claiming they would ultimately tighten market conditions. Moreover, the centre‑right People’s Party and far‑right Vox opposed the measures.
Leading a coalition of the Socialist Party and the far‑left Sumar, Sánchez urged legislators to set aside political considerations and pressure their hand.
“Think about ordinary people, especially those who most need publicly backed protection. Consider the millions of young individuals unable to leave their parents’ homes due to lack of affordable housing. Recognize families confronting relentless rising rents,” he asserted.
“Do the right thing, because if you fail history will judge you sooner than you dare to foresee, with even greater severity.”
Miriam Nogueras of Junts warned that the decrees could force landlords to withdraw properties from the rental market, thereby further fueling price increases.
“Even with these reforms, speculators retain the ability to acquire property and displace tenants,” Nogueras declared.
‘Your profits, our misery’
As the vote was under way, demonstrators took to the streets of the parliament urging authorities to support tenants.
The governing decrees were introduced to defuse public outrage sparked by the televised forced eviction of Maria del Carmen Abascal—affectionately called Maricarmen—on September 23, an incident that has led to sustained demonstrations and a sit‑in occupying Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square.
Abascal resided in a building located in central Madrid’s Retiro district, originally bound by a rent‑capped lease agreement drafted in the 1950s. In 2018 the asset was acquired by the real‑estate investor Urbagestion.
Urbagestion moved to terminate the lease and proceed with eviction after surging the rent from €500 (≈€572) to €2,650 (≈€3,010), roughly double the woman’s monthly pension of €1,350 (≈€1,533), according to the Spanish newspaper El Pais.
When police attempted the eviction for a fourth time, a crowd of activists gathered waiting outside, hoping for a resolution.
She subsequently received a provisional settlement granting her rights to reclaim her residence.
Protests outside the chamber on Friday featured homemade banners bearing images of vultures, denouncing real‑estate speculators responsible for soaring costs.
A group of demonstrators outside the building chanted ‘your profits, our misery’ as legislators voted down the government’s decree.
In recent ten years, average rents in Spain have nearly doubled, and the median price per square metre has climbed from €8.20 (approximately $9.08 at that time) in 2016 to €15.10 (about $17.15) today, per Idealista.
