Spanish Parliament Ratifies Eviction Limits Ahead of Snap Election

The interim parliamentary council of Spain ratified a decree on Thursday to limit tenant evictions, responding to heightened social tension a day after a nationwide general strike over rising housing costs. The legislative action comes shortly before a snap parliamentary election scheduled for later this month, which will determine whether the new measures remain in force.

The approved decree, which passed by a vote of 35 to 34, extends eviction protections for tenants evaluated by social services to be in a precarious financial or social situation. Under the new rule, evictions are suspended as long as regional authorities are unable to provide alternative housing for affected residents.

A secondary proposal intended to curb real estate speculation was rejected by a vote of 34 to 35. That measure would have prohibited commercial real estate companies from purchasing properties at prices lower than 70 percent of their market value. The centre-right Basque Nationalist Party voted against the restriction alongside conservative lawmakers, arguing that such a limit could prompt property owners to remove housing from the rental market, reducing overall supply and driving rental prices higher.

The vote follows a 24-hour general strike on Wednesday, during which hundreds of thousands of people joined union-led rallies and walkouts across Spanish cities, including Malaga and Madrid. Demonstrations had previously escalated in September following the publicised eviction of 87-year-old Maria del Carmen Abascal in Madrid. Her death in October intensified public debate over housing policy and prompted Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to introduce emergency executive decrees.

Sánchez dissolved parliament and called the early election after his minority coalition failed to pass an earlier iteration of the housing protections through the full chamber. To secure passage before the vote later this month, the government resubmitted revised decrees to the smaller parliamentary council.

The political future of the housing rules remains dependent on the election outcome. The opposition Popular Party announced that it intends to repeal the government's measures if it forms the next administration. Conservative lawmakers argue that regulatory interventions negatively affect market stability and have proposed increasing home construction as their primary strategy to address housing shortages.

Written by Sandy van Dongen sandy.vandongen@alpineweekly.com