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Tens of thousands have assembled in various cities across Spain to voice their concerns over the escalating housing crisis, with calls for action against rampant speculation and the urgent need for affordable housing options.
Protest organizers estimate that as many as 150,000 people filled the streets of Madrid, while similar demonstrations occurred in around 40 other cities nationwide. Participants from locations as diverse as Málaga on the Costa del Sol to Vigo in the Atlantic northwest expressed their frustrations with chants such as “end the housing racket” and “landlords are guilty, the government is responsible.”
Valeria Racu, a representative of the Madrid tenants’ union, advocated for rent strikes similar to those recently seen in several Catalan coastal areas. She remarked, “This is the beginning of the end of the housing business. It marks the start of a transition to a more equitable society, free from landlordism and the parasitic systems that consume our wages and resources.”
The tenants’ union highlights that approximately 1.4 million households in Spain are spending over 30% of their income on housing, marking an increase of 200,000 families compared to a decade ago. This situation has positioned housing as the foremost social concern in Spain, amplified by a proliferation of property speculation and an influx of tourist apartments, which have significantly inflated rental costs, rendering them unaffordable for many.
Current statistics reveal that Madrid is home to at least 15,000 unregistered tourist apartments, while Barcelona has announced plans to cease renewing its existing 10,000 tourist apartment licenses upon their expiration in 2028. What began as a localized issue in tourist-heavy regions such as the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and Barcelona has now spread throughout the country. Cities including Seville, Valencia, Santiago de Compostela, Burgos, and San Sebastián have also seen protests where demonstrators rang keys—an emblematic gesture of dissent against the unaffordability of housing.
In the Balearic Islands, rental prices for modest apartments have surged by 40% in the past five years, reaching approximately €1,400 (£1,190) per month, which surpasses the average monthly earnings of those employed in the tourism sector, the region’s main economic driver.
Young people are most adversely affected by soaring housing costs, which have escalated while wages have stagnated. A study from the Spanish youth council revealed that as many as 85% of individuals under 30 lived with their parents last year due to the prohibitive cost of housing.
During a major gathering in Barcelona’s Plaça d’Espanya, protesters called for a 50% reduction in rents, the availability of indefinite leases, and an end to housing speculation practices. Reports from the Catalan housing agency indicate that rents in Barcelona have surged by 70% over the past decade, contrasted with a mere 17.5% increase in salaries during the same timeframe.
Jaime Palomera from the Barcelona Urban Research Institute and the author of El Secuestro de la Vivienda (The Kidnapping of Housing), criticized the current economic framework. He stated, “The housing market is biased in favor of asset holders, bolstered by tax benefits that incentivize the acquisition of more real estate. The wealth gap has widened since the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling the affluent to invest in property and drive up prices, exacerbating inequality.”
Palomera proposed taxation on individuals who own multiple properties as a potential solution to the crisis. He referenced Singapore’s model, where initial homebuyers receive financial support, while higher taxes are levied on subsequent home purchases to ensure a more balanced housing market.
Source
www.theguardian.com