Thousands protest across Spain demanding stronger tenant protections after housing bill defeat

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across Spain calling for greater protections for tenants after the government failed to pass emergency housing legislation in parliament on Friday.

About 50 marches took place on Saturday in cities including Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona.

"There is a lot of anger in the streets," a spokesperson for the Valencia Tenants' Union said. Clashes took have taken place between some protesters and police in the city.

The measures put forward by Pedro Sánchez's leftist coalition government on Friday followed public outcry over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her home last month after she was unable to afford a sharp rent increase.

Her eviction triggered nationwide protests across Spain with protesters demanding lower rents, an end to evictions, and a ban on investment funds - or "vulture funds" as the government has termed them - buying property.

Sanchez's defeat in Congress on Friday heightens speculation that he might call an early general election, which was not due until next summer.

His coalition government, made up of his ruling Socialist party and junior partner the Sumar alliance, does not command a majority in parliament.

One of the biggest demonstration is happening in the capital, Madrid. Estimates of the number of participants varied widely, with the city's Tenants' Union putting it at 500,000, while government officials put the figure at 70,000.

Demonstrators held banners reading "There won't be peace for rentism" and "I study to have a future, not to have a tiny apartment". They shook the keys they were holding and chanted: "We have the keys of all the city".

Some have also been camping in one of the city's main squares, Puerta del Sol, for days.

One protester, David, told RTVE ahead of the protest: "We're not here for pleasure or comfort. We're here out of conviction."

Another protester, 26-year-old librarian Marcos Sainz, told AFP news agency that he used to share a two-bedroom flat with friends, paying 900 euros (£766) a month in rent. Today, he said a one-bedroom flat often costs 1,000 euros.

Sainz said he would protest against rent rises "until someone dares to regulate it all", or "we'll all have to leave Madrid".

On Friday night, Madrid's Tenants' Union said that although the government's proposed measures were insufficient, the rejection of the proposed legislation "exacerbates the housing crisis which is costing the working class their lives".

It is calling for a general strike over the housing crisis.

The Bank of Spain estimates the country is short of 700,000 homes, based on the gap between demand and new construction.

House prices have risen by 12.2% in the past year, according to figures for the second quarter of 2026 from national statistics institute INE.

The shortage in rental housing means that costs rose by 8.5% in 2025, according to real estate firm Idealista, with Madrid alone seeing an increase of 9.7% in rents.

It said Barcelona and Madrid were Spain's most expensive cities to rent a home, at €23.80 per square metre and €22.70 per square metre respectively.