Spanish Parliament Approves Housing Protections Amid Protests

The Spanish Parliament on Thursday enacted regulations designed to limit home evictions and enhance housing affordability. These legislative steps follow a general strike and weeks of demonstrations centered on the housing crisis, which had fueled calls for early elections.

Legislative Measures and Rejections

Despite the approval of eviction restrictions, lawmakers voted against the automatic renewal of rental contracts, a key demand from activists. The right-wing opposition, currently leading most opinion polls ahead of the November 29 vote, has pledged to repeal these newly passed procedures.

Housing costs have long been a significant issue in Spain. However, public anger intensified after Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old retiree, was evicted from her lifelong Madrid residence last September and subsequently died. This incident triggered widespread outrage across the country.

Protests and Political Response

Large-scale protests erupted nationwide, with sit-in camps established in various cities for several weeks. The largest gathering took place at Puerta del Sol square in Madrid. In an effort to calm the unrest, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s socialist government quickly proposed two decrees offering greater tenant protection against evictions and mandating automatic lease renewals.

Sanchez’s minority government failed to pass these initial decrees in parliament. This legislative deadlock prompted the prime minister to call for general elections, originally scheduled for 2027. On Wednesday, hundreds of thousands of Spaniards joined a general strike demanding affordable housing, better wages, and improved public services, actions organized by unions following the rejection of the first decrees.

Final Approval Process

Sanchez issued two new decrees nearly identical to the rejected versions. These were debated in a smaller parliamentary session, providing the government with a higher likelihood of approval. The final measures address some of the primary demands raised after Abascal’s eviction, which occurred when the real estate company owning her property significantly increased the rent.

The approved rules prohibit the eviction of vulnerable tenants without alternative housing until the end of 2030. They also impose restrictions on investment funds that acquire properties at low prices for high-profit gains. The Permanent Deputation, consisting of 69 members including deputies and the parliamentary speaker, reflects the proportional representation of blocs in the 350-seat lower house, which had repeatedly blocked Sanchez’s initiatives.

The position of the pro-business Catalan separatist party Junts is no longer decisive, as its seven deputies who opposed the original decrees are represented by only one member in the Permanent Deputation. The People’s Party, the main conservative opposition group leading most polls, argues that these measures will negatively impact the real estate market. Instead, they propose increasing construction as a solution to the housing crisis.