Spanish Parliament rejects government tenant protection decrees

The Spanish Parliament has voted against two decrees from the left-wing government coalition on tenant protection. In addition to the conservative Partido Popular and the right-wing extremist Vox, the Catalan separatists of the Junts party also rejected the decrees. The government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has hardly been able to get any initiatives through parliament since its junts with seven MPs broke off their allegiance almost a year ago.

Sánchez had previously warned with an urgent appeal that a no vote would cause great economic and social damage to the country. “History will judge,” said Sánchez. Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez said the vote was about whether to be on the side of the people or on the side of the "vulture funds" that speculated on housing.

The reason for the decrees were nationwide protests against the eviction of 87-year-old Mariacarmen Abascal's apartment in Madrid. The outrage following the forced eviction was huge: in Madrid and other cities, tens of thousands took to the streets under the slogan "Ni una Maricarmen más" ("Not another Maricarmen"). In the capital, a protest camp with dozens of tents was set up in front of the headquarters of the conservative regional government in the Puerta del Sol square. Similar camps were also set up in Barcelona, ​​Seville and Málaga.

Two decrees were up for vote

The first decree aimed to prevent forced evictions of vulnerable people, make real estate speculation more difficult, introduce stricter requirements for short-term rentals and create tax incentives for rentals and housing construction.

The second decree was intended to turn existing temporary contracts into permanent tenancies. Even before the debate, it was certain that this second decree would fail. To date, rental contracts in Spain have run for a maximum of eight years. The tenant and landlord can then negotiate a new contract - but this may have different conditions.

Opposition spokesmen accused the government of saying the proposed measures would reduce the supply of housing and drive up rents even further. Miriam Nogueriam. Míriam Nogueras from Junts called on the government to withdraw its two decrees and instead offered talks on changes. The government had hoped until the end that Junts would at least agree to the first decree.

Speculation about new elections

Before the vote, there was speculation about new elections if parliament decided against Sánchez's laws. Spanish media such as La Vanguardia had reported that the head of government, who was already under strong pressure because of the migration crisis in Ceuta and corruption cases, could call new elections in the face of another setback.

Rents almost doubled

The housing market in Spain is very tense. The average rent has almost doubled in the past ten years. According to the real estate portal Idealista, the average price per square meter rose from 8.20 euros in 2016 to 15.10 euros this year.

After the decision in parliament, tenant protection associations now called for new protests.