Protesters across Spain demand action over housing crisis

Across Spain, protesters are demanding government action to address the housing crisis. Following the failure of the left-wing coalition government to pass emergency housing legislation in parliament on Friday, approximately 50 planned marches are set to take place in major cities including Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona on Saturday. Some demonstrations have already commenced, with demonstrators expressing their anger in the streets.

The proposed measures, put forth by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government, were met with criticism and rejection by parliament. The legislation was divided into two decrees. The first included a suspension of evictions for vulnerable tenants until 2030, a two-year extension to rental leases expiring before 2028, tax increases on tourist apartments, and restrictions on the purchase of residential properties by investment funds known as "vulture funds."

The second decree focused on automatic renewal of rental contracts, a key demand from the left and the Valencia Tenants Union.

However, both decrees were voted down by 178 to 172 and 184 to 166 respectively. The conservative People's Party (PP) and far-right Vox had already indicated their opposition, leaving the government reliant on support from smaller nationalist parties in Catalonia and the Basque Country. Despite this setback, the government hastily drafted decree laws in an attempt to quell the housing protests sparked by the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal in September.

The Bank of Spain estimates a shortage of 700,000 homes in Spain, driven by a 12.2% rise in house prices and a 8.5% increase in rental costs in 2025. With millions living in inadequate housing, protesters remain steadfast in their demand for a solution to the crisis.