The Spanish Government has approved two decrees on housing, which must be passed by Congress. The coalition does not have a majority there and is calling for a special parliamentary session to be held on Friday. The main decision provides for the extension of restrictions on the eviction of vulnerable tenants until 2030 and new rules for the rental market.
Briefly about the main points
- There are plans to extend the protection of vulnerable tenants against eviction until 2030.
- The government tabled the housing reform at a special session of Congress on Friday.
- The main decree regulates short-term lettings, room lettings and the activities of trusts.
- Junts is calling for safeguards for small landlords, whilst the People’s Party rejects the proposals.
What changes are being proposed for the rental market?
The main decree is also intended to regulate short-term lettings and the letting of rooms. It prohibits so-called «vulture funds» from purchasing property until 2028.
It is proposed that current tenancy agreements, which are due to expire at the end of 2028, be extended for a further two years. A separate decree deals with the automatic renewal of tenancy agreements.
Votes in Congress are not yet guaranteed
Once the decrees have been published, the government will have 30 days to reach an agreement with its parliamentary allies. It is thought that the conservative Catalan and Basque parties may support the first document, but are unlikely to approve the second.
Catalan the Junts party, whose support is needed for the agreement to be adopted, stated that an agreement is still a long way off. Its representative Miriam Nogueras calls for specific protection for small landlords who own several properties rather than entire buildings.
Leader of the People’s Party Alberto Núñez Feijóo He rejected the government’s proposals. In his view, a problem that has been developing over eight years cannot be resolved in a short space of time.
Protests in Madrid and criticism of the reform’s division
On Tuesday, hundreds of people remained in one of Madrid’s main squares, protesting following the eviction Maricarmen Abascal. The protesters are calling for rents to be frozen and for tenancy agreements to be automatically renewed without excessive rent increases.
The tenants’ union, which was one of the driving forces behind the protests in Puerta del Sol, has stated that it wishes to examine the details of the documents. At the same time, the organisation has opposed the splitting of the reform into two decrees and is calling for the adoption of the full package of changes drawn up by the tenants’ movement.
Health Minister Mónica García described the government’s decision as something that had seemed impossible just a month ago. She emphasised the need to intervene in the speculative housing market and to restore the balance between citizens and property funds.
Abascal will return to the flat; Colau has given up the tenancy
Uurbagestión, whose actions led to Abascal’s eviction becoming a key issue in the political debate, has offered her the chance to return to the flat. The rent will not exceed 30% of her income; Abascal has accepted the terms and will pay €533 a month instead of the €1,650 originally demanded.
Housing campaigner and former mayor of Barcelona Ada Kolau She said that after 15 years she moved out of her rented flat. Following her divorce, she was unable to afford the rent on a single income and moved in with a relative. Colau believes that the rental market is geared towards dual-income households or people living together.
