Tens of thousands of people have protested across the country demanding stronger protections for tenants after the Spanish government failed to pass an emergency housing bill.
Some 50 marches were held on Saturday in cities including Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona.
"There is anger in the streets," said a spokesman for the Valencia Tenants' Union. Some protesters in the city clashed with police.
The measures were proposed on Friday by Pedro Sánchez's leftist coalition government. This comes after an 87-year-old woman was evicted from her residence last month because she could not afford the significantly increased rent, sparking public outcry.
Her deportation sparked nationwide protests in Spain. Protesters are demanding lower rents, an end to evictions and a ban on investment funds buying properties. The government calls these funds "vulture funds."
Sanchez suffered a setback in the House of Representatives on Friday, fueling speculation that he could call an early election. The general election was due to be held next summer.
His coalition government, composed of his ruling Socialist Party and smaller coalition partner Sumar alliance, does not hold a majority in parliament.
Photos showed protesters clashing with police near the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía on Saturday in the east coast city of Valencia. The art center was hosting a real estate summit.
Spanish media reported that several protesters moved away from barricades and threw objects at police, who responded with rubber bullets. Public broadcaster RTVE said nine police officers were injured and five arrested.
One of the largest demonstrations took place in the capital Madrid, but estimates of the number of participants vary widely. The city's tenants' union said 500,000 people attended, while officials estimated the number at 70,000.
The demonstrators held banners that read "Relying on rent for profit, don't think about peace" and "I study to have a future, not for a small apartment." They shook the keys in their hands and shouted, "We hold the key to the entire city."
Some also camped out for several days in Puerta del Sol, one of the city's main squares.
"We are not here for pleasure or comfort. We are here for belief," one protester named David told Spanish radio and television before the demonstration.
Another protester, 26-year-old librarian Marcos Sainz, told AFP that he previously shared a two-bedroom apartment with friends for 900 euros (£766) a month. He said the rent for a one-bedroom apartment today often costs 1,000 euros.
Sainz said he would continue to protest against rent increases "until someone dares to fully regulate it", otherwise "we all have to leave Madrid".
Late on Friday, the Madrid Tenants Union said that while the measures proposed by the government were insufficient, the rejection of the bill "exacerbates the housing crisis that is claiming the lives of the working class".
The group is calling for a general strike over the housing crisis.
The bill before the House of Representatives on Friday is divided into two ordinances.
The first includes a moratorium on evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, extending leases expiring before 2028 by two years, raising taxes on tourist apartments and limiting so-called "vulture funds" from buying homes.
The second decree includes the automatic renewal of leases, a key demand of many on the left and tenants' unions.
Members voted 178 against and 172 in favor of the first ordinance, and voted 184 against and 166 in favor to veto the second.
Ahead of the vote, the conservative People's Party (PP) and the far-right Vox party had said they would oppose both measures, leaving the minority government dependent on the support of smaller nationalist parties in Catalonia and the Basque Country.
However, on the eve of the parliamentary session, the centre-right, pro-independence Together for Catalonia (JxCat) party has stated its opposition to both bills, dooming them to fail.
Sanchez's ruling coalition rushed to draft the decrees in an attempt to quell housing protests. The protests were triggered by the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her home in September.
The backlash prompted Urbagestión, the company that owns Abascal's apartment, to negotiate with her to move back into the apartment at a low rent. However, the protests continued.
The Bank of Spain estimates that the country is short of 700,000 homes, based on the gap between housing demand and new construction.
