World
• Analysis
Spain housing protests: a week camping in Puerta del Sol after relief vote defeat
Tens of thousands joined the Spain housing protests in Madrid and other Spanish cities on Saturday, a day after parliament narrowly rejected the government's tenant relief measures. In the capital, where activists have camped in Puerta del Sol for about a week, demonstrators set off from several meeting points to converge on Plaza de Cibeles.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 3, 2026
• 2 Min Read
A week of camping at Puerta del Sol
The Spain housing protests returned to the streets on Saturday, with tens of thousands marching in Madrid and other Spanish cities to demand affordable housing, a day after parliament narrowly rejected the government's tenant relief measures.
In the capital, activists and protesters have been camping for about a week in Puerta del Sol, one of the city's main tourist squares. Demonstrators set off from several locations across the capital before converging on Plaza de Cibeles in the city centre.
The Tenants' Union said in a statement:
"There is an irreparable disconnect between what the people want and what the parties vote for."
What parliament voted down
The government introduced the measures after nationwide protests followed the September 23 forced expulsion of a pensioner from her Madrid flat, an episode that has kept the crisis running for more than a week.
The package included:
- •automatic renewal of rental contracts when they expire
- •measures aimed at restricting the eviction of vulnerable tenants
- •rules targeting so-called vulture funds, investment firms that buy properties at low prices in pursuit of higher returns
The two decrees needed the support of Catalan separatist party Junts to pass, but the party voted against them, arguing they lacked rigour.
Why rents drive the anger
Housing has been a top concern for Spaniards for years, as supply falls short of demand and rents and house prices soar like elsewhere in the European Union.
According to real estate website Idealista, average rents in Spain have almost doubled over the past decade, while asking prices for homes have risen by about 90 percent.
Those figures are the backdrop to a camp that is now about a week old. The defeat has also raised fresh questions over whether Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his minority government can survive until the next scheduled general election in 2027.
