Madrid – A recent attempt to evict 87‑year‑old Maricarmen Abascal from her central‑Madrid apartment ignited protests across Spain and thrust the chronic housing shortage into the centre of the snap election campaign.
Left‑leaning housing plan rejected
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist government introduced a package of rent caps and limits on corporate real‑estate purchases last Friday. Right‑wing deputies voted the measures down, arguing that price controls would choke new supply and worsen the affordability gap.
People’s Party offers market‑driven solution
Alberto Núñez Feijoo, leader of the centre‑right People’s Party (PP), is promising to build 250,000 homes each year – a programme that would create roughly 600,000 jobs. “If Spaniards give me their trust, my priority, my success, will be housing policy,” Feijoo said, noting that recent September polls show the PP leading with about 33% support versus the Socialist Party’s 26%.
Feijoo also wants to speed up urban‑planning approvals, free up land for development, and expand mortgage and rental guarantees for young families.
Young voters demand action
Marta, a 28‑year‑old Madrid resident who joined the protests, warned that leaving housing policy to the right would make the crisis worse. “If we leave this issue in the hands of the right, it’s going to get much worse,” she said, reflecting the anxiety of many young Spaniards who now live with parents or rely on them for support.
Structural challenges remain
Spain’s regionalised system complicates implementation. While the national government can set housing legislation, actual planning and zoning decisions rest with autonomous communities and municipalities, often leading to delays or outright blockages.
Since the Socialists took power in 2018, both rent‑control proposals and more permissive planning measures have been stalled or rejected, leaving a deficit estimated at 750,000 homes – a figure that could reach one million by 2028.
Homeownership remains high at 73%, but more than half of 18‑34‑year‑olds now live with their parents. House prices rose at three times the rate of wages last year, pushing many into the rental market, where social housing accounts for only 1.7% of the stock – among the lowest in the EU.
Debate over investors
The Tenants’ Union, a key protest organizer, has called for a crackdown on “vulture funds” – corporate investors it says drive up rents and force evictions. While the union has secured compensation in several cases, economist Jorge Galindo warned that aggressive action against private investors could deter new construction.
Data from the land registry shows institutional ownership of housing is limited outside major cities: only 4.4% of homes nationwide are owned by companies, and just 4.3% of landlords hold 11 or more rental units. Roughly 40% of rental properties are owned by individual landlords with a single unit, who rely on rental income to supplement wages.
Balancing owners and renters
Political analyst Cristina Monge stressed that any successful policy must balance the interests of homeowners – who make up three‑quarters of the population – with the growing, vulnerable renter segment. “Property owners see their own children struggling to access housing – not just to buy, but even to rent,” she said.
For many protesters, the solution must go beyond market tweaks. “We need a bit of humanity in how we deal with this,” said Alex Domínguez’s ex‑girlfriend Marta, adding that housing is a fundamental right.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
