Reported by Weng Patrick Atokor l Journalist at Weng Global
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Madrid and more than 50 other Spanish cities on Saturday, October 3, to demand action on the country’s worsening housing crisis, a day after parliament rejected two government measures designed to strengthen protections for tenants.
The demonstrations came after Spain’s Congress voted down emergency housing decrees proposed by the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The measures had been introduced amid growing public anger over rising housing costs and the September 23 eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her Madrid home.
In Madrid, authorities estimated that about 70,000 people participated in the main demonstration. Protesters called for affordable housing, stronger tenant protections and greater government action, while some carried messages calling for a general strike.
Parliament rejects government housing measures
Spain’s 350-member Congress rejected two government decrees on Friday, October 2.
The proposed measures sought to address several problems in the rental market, including tenant insecurity, evictions and the growing pressure on households facing high housing costs.
One package included measures to extend protections against evictions, strengthen the supply of affordable housing and place additional restrictions on practices associated with housing speculation. Another focused on increasing stability for people renting their main homes, including automatic renewal provisions under specified conditions.
The measures were defeated after opposition parties and the Catalan pro-independence party Junts voted against them. Reports said the first decree was rejected by 178 votes to 172.
Junts had been important to the government’s effort to secure enough parliamentary support but opposed the measures, arguing that they lacked sufficient rigour.
Eviction of 87-year-old woman fuels protests
The current wave of demonstrations intensified after the eviction of María del Carmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman who had lived in her Madrid apartment for about seven decades.
Images of her removal from the property on a stretcher generated widespread public attention and became a rallying point for housing campaigners.
According to reports, the property had been acquired by an investment company and a dispute over rent followed. After public pressure, the new owners agreed to allow Abascal to return to the apartment under a lower-rent arrangement.
The case subsequently became a symbol of wider concerns over the affordability and security of housing in Spain.
Housing costs put pressure on households
Spain has faced a long-running housing affordability problem, with rents and property prices increasing while the supply of affordable housing has remained under pressure.
Euronews reported that average rents in Spain have almost doubled over the past decade, while asking prices for homes have also risen substantially.
The Spanish government has argued that increasing the supply of affordable and publicly owned housing is essential to addressing the problem.
When it approved the housing measures on September 29, the government proposed several initiatives, including stronger protections against evictions, incentives for affordable housing, support for first-time buyers and measures aimed at increasing the public housing stock.
The government also proposed reducing VAT to 4 per cent for publicly funded and social housing as part of its wider package.
However, the rejection of the decrees means those measures did not receive the parliamentary approval needed to take effect in the proposed form.
Protests spread beyond Madrid
Saturday’s demonstrations were not limited to the Spanish capital.
Protests were reported in more than 50 cities across the country, with housing campaigners seeking greater government intervention to make renting and home ownership more affordable.
Most demonstrations were reported to have remained peaceful.
In Valencia, however, tensions escalated between demonstrators and police. Reuters reported that police used rubber bullets and tear gas after protesters attempted to enter the City of Arts and Sciences. Around 30 protesters reportedly entered the landmark before being removed.
Protests planned in Barcelona and Hospitalet de Llobregat were reportedly cancelled because of heavy rain.
Calls for a wider mobilisation
The Tenants’ Union, which has played a prominent role in coordinating the housing protests, has indicated that the movement could continue following parliament’s rejection of the government’s measures.
Some protesters have called for a general strike, although no confirmed date for such an action had been announced at the time of reporting.
The demonstrations have also included an ongoing protest camp in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol. The camp was established following the eviction of Abascal and has become a prominent symbol of the housing movement.
The scale of the protests has brought housing policy back to the centre of Spain’s national political debate.
Political pressure on Sánchez government
The parliamentary defeat has also increased pressure on Sánchez’s minority government.
Spain’s next scheduled general election is due in 2027, but the parliamentary dispute over housing has prompted renewed discussion about whether an early election could be called.
Reuters reported that Spanish media had raised the possibility of a November snap election, although Sánchez’s office declined to comment on the reports.
The issue remains politically contested. Opposition parties have argued that Spain needs to increase housing construction rather than rely primarily on regulatory measures, while the government has promoted tenant protections and an expansion of affordable and public housing.
The disagreement reflects a broader debate over how Spain should respond to the gap between housing supply, rising prices and the financial pressures facing renters and prospective homeowners.
Why the housing crisis matters
The protests demonstrate that housing has become a major social and political issue in Spain.
For renters, rising costs can reduce disposable income and make long-term housing security more difficult. For younger people and lower-income households, the combination of high rents, expensive property and limited affordable housing can make moving into independent accommodation increasingly difficult.
The Spanish government’s proposed measures sought to address some of these pressures through tenant protections, financial support, restrictions on certain housing practices and increased public housing.
Their rejection leaves those proposals unresolved and places greater pressure on political parties to find alternative solutions.
The protests also show how individual housing disputes can develop into broader national movements when they are connected to wider concerns over affordability and housing security.
What happens next
The immediate next step is likely to be continued political and public pressure over housing policy.
Housing campaigners are expected to continue demonstrations and push for stronger tenant protections. The government will also face pressure to develop alternative measures or seek new parliamentary support for housing legislation.
Meanwhile, the possibility of an early election remains a subject of political discussion, but no snap election has been officially announced by Sánchez’s government.
For now, the demonstrations have kept Spain’s housing crisis firmly at the centre of national debate, with protesters demanding that political institutions respond to the growing difficulties faced by renters and people seeking affordable homes.
Weng Global – Stories beyond borders
Sources
- Reuters — Tens of thousands protest across Spain over housing crisis
- Government of Spain, La Moncloa — The Government of Spain agrees on urgent measures to support the right to housing
- Associated Press — What to know about Spain’s housing protests sparked by the eviction of the 87-year-old Maricarmen
- AFP — Fresh protests to hit Spain after housing measures defeated
- Euronews — Spain faces housing protests in more than 50 cities after parliament rejects tenant protections
