What we don't earn, we don't pay: nationwide initiatives in Spain are organizing rent strikes and now general strikes

dossier

“…It's definitely not an April Fool's joke. On April 1, 2020, many families, self-employed people and small and medium-sized companies across the Spanish state will go on rent strike. Tenants' unions, such as the “Sindicat de Llogaters i Llogateres” founded in Catalonia in 2017, and social organizations are calling for a strike against the social democratic government's lack of emergency measures for the common population. The 200 initiatives propose to stop paying rent from April. (…) The tenant unions were actually founded because of skyrocketing rents. So far, they have primarily called for stronger tenants' rights and regulation of skyrocketing rents, which Spanish laws practically do not protect against. Some of the activists had pinned their hopes on the new government, but they were massively disappointed…" - from theArticle “Rent strike due to coronavirus in Spain” by Ralf Streck on April 1st, 2020 at telepolis about the nationwide initiative. See further developments and background information:

• A broad coalition in Spain is calling for a 24-hour general strike on November 11, 2026 for the right to housing and decent wages
  • Eviction of the tent camp in Madrid drives the mobilization for the 11N strike of the tenant movement and unions (from the moderate to the militant).
    
    • The general strike on November 11th has already received 4,342 statements of support from works councils, trade union associations and employee assemblies.
      “Representatives of various trade union sections and works councils from companies such as SEAT, Volkswagen, Amazon, Mercadona, Renfe, Telefónica and BBVA from different regions join a call that spreads across all production sectors and regions of the state.
      The general strike on November 11th also opens a path for individual participation to expand participation beyond union organizations and workplaces - through the websitehttps://vagaperlhabitatge.cat/adhereix-te/
      The unity between the tenant movement and unions of all stripes - from the moderate to the militant - is driving a general strike aimed at making the fight for housing and against the high cost of living a historic mobilization. (…)
      The extent of the expressions of support that have already been received illustrates the breadth of union unity that goes far beyond the organizing committees. The association of rental unions and employee organizations such as CCOO, UGT, CGT, CNT, ELA, LAB and CIG as well as many others have come together in a call that unites mainstream and combative trade unionism and manages to bring the fight for housing into companies across the board. The 11N strike is based on a reality shared by millions of people: work is no longer a guarantee of making ends meet. Wages are being eroded by ever-increasing rents, utilities and living costs, while landlords and large corporations continue to accumulate profits…” span.Report from November 3, 2026 at Sindicat de Llogateres i Llogaters (machine translated) and the (Spanish)call 
    • The CGT to clear the tent camp at Puerta del Sol: On to the general strike on November 11th!
      “In the early hours of Tuesday, November 3rd, officers of the National and Municipal Police evacuated the housing rights camp at Puerta del Sol, which began on September 26th following the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal. This is once again an attempt to solve a structural problem using repressive means - a problem for which no political party currently wants to accept responsibility. The Puerta del Sol camp, like others that have sprung up across the country, was crucial in highlighting a reality: there are scores of people outraged by the situation of housing and economic hardship. This social mass, which has expressed its discontent since the demonstration on the 26th in Madrid, has not disappeared - on the contrary: it is building networks and alliances with the aim of a general strike next November 11th that will paralyze the country.
      The evacuation of the tent camp at Puerta del Sol also reflects another reality: the total neglect of the homeless in the city of Madrid. The Ayuso and Almeida governments have pushed thousands of families out of public housing and all support through their policies of supporting speculators and rentiers. They have left thousands of people without help and care, pushed out of the labor market and without access to decent housing. In Madrid, social services are completely destroyed and reduced to a minimum. The tent camp at Puerta del Sol was the only refuge for the homeless, where they received support, warmth, care and solidarity from thousands of people - something that no institution had done for them before…” span.Call from November 3, 2026 from the CGT (machine translated)
    • “Vaga general Per l’habitatge”
      “Because work is no longer a guarantee of making ends meet, because rents eat up our wages and because the profits of a few continue to rise. On November 11th we will shut down the country. The landlord and the boss are putting pressure on us from both sides. That's why 11N is not just a labor strike and not just a renters' strike: it is a general strike for housing and against the high cost of living…” catal.Action page 
    • See also the international call for coordinated mobilizations against the high cost of living on November 20th, 21st and 22ndAssez! ¡BASTA!: The networking of trade union strikes and social protests against the consequences of austerity policy is beginning in more and more European countries
  • The death of Maricarmen is once again motivating the movement against evictions in Spain, now for the general strike on November 11th for fair wages and the right to housing
    
    • 87-year-old Maricarmen, whose forced eviction radicalized the movement in Spain, died exhausted before she fought to return to her apartment  
      “The 87-year-old died on Wednesday at the Gregorio Marañón Hospital in Madrid, as confirmed by the tenants' association in a statement (…) In this statement, also signed by her family and her lawyer, they recall that she had been in hospital since the eviction. “Although a historic agreement was reached that would have allowed her to return to her apartment, this solution came far too late,” they regret. The signatories believe that the events following their eviction - mass demonstrations, encampments in the squares, early elections and the call for a general strike - represent "a turning point in the history of this country", but warn that "the price we paid was too high". And they say goodbye with the request she has told them again and again: “Fight, keep fighting for what is yours.”
      Thanks to social pressure, for the first time in Spain an evicted person was about to return to his home after the owner agreed to sign a new rental agreement. Nevertheless, the eviction and the previous attempts had taken a toll on Maricarmen's physical health, so that in the last years of her life she was only able to move around in a wheelchair and was dependent on help for everyday activities. She had to go through almost seven years of legal battles to stay in her home. Her physical condition had deteriorated in recent months. She had lost muscle mass, had difficulty eating and said even her voice had changed. "It affected me in every way. I'm not myself anymore," she said two days before leaving her house…” span.Article by Lucía Franco and Beatriz Olaizola from October 7th, 2026 in El Pais online (machine translated)
    • CALL FOR A GENERAL STRIKE – NOVEMBER 11.
      “In memory of Olga, Maricarmen and all victims of housing violence.We at the CGT are committing all our forces and resources to the general strike on November 11th. We are shutting down the country to fight a predatory system that is destroying the living conditions of the working class - a class that is suffocating under the uncontrolled rise in housing costs that eat up more than half of wages and under persistent inflation that erodes our purchasing power. We demand accountability from the political class for their inaction in the face of housing violence, evictions and vulture fund speculation, and we join with all rental and housing unions and other organizations in a common struggle…” span.CGT press release (machine translated)
      • The CNT is also calling for a general strike on November 11th to demand fair wages and the right to housing, see the (Spanish)Press release on the call  
    • The Association of Tenants' Unions is calling for a minute's silence and a general strike for Maricarmen
      “Today, Friday, at 12 noon at all work and educational institutions across the country. The call from the Association of Tenants' Unions comes after the PP and Vox refused on Thursday to observe a minute's silence for Maricarmen in the Madrid regional assembly on the grounds that they did not want to "contribute to her political instrumentalization" in an "interest-led campaign", even though the deceased herself had called to fight and mobilize for the political cause against evictions and for decent housing. (…) We therefore ask you, all employees and society as a whole, to observe a minute's silence tomorrow, Friday, at 12 noon at all work and educational institutions in the state. We also ask you to prepare for us to stage a historic general strike on November 11th. We won't stop until we change everything.” SpanishComunicado documented in the article dated 09/10/2026 by Tercera Información (machine translated)
    • Protest and remembrance: Tens of thousands in Spain on the streets for Maricarmen
      “The death of an 87-year-old after being evicted from her apartment is fueling protests against the housing shortage in Spain. A strike and new elections have already been announced. But there is no end to the discontent in sight. (…) There were memorial marches in the evening not only in the capital, but in many other cities across the country. The police estimated the number of participants in Madrid alone to be at least 20,000. People there chanted, among other things, “Vultures out of our neighborhoods!” and “We are all Maricarmen!”...”Post from October 9th, 2026 on tagesschau.de with video
    • ["Murderer, murderer, murderer"] Death of Maricarmen Abascal fuels protest
      “The fate of the 87-year-old after her eviction sparked mass protests. Her death is now exacerbating the dispute over the housing crisis.
      The death of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal two weeks after she was evicted from her apartment in Madrid has been greeted with shock and anger in Spain. Demonstrators, who have been holding out for days in a protest camp against the housing shortage in the country in the central Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, observed a minute's silence for the woman whose fate has become the trigger and symbol of the fight for affordable housing.
      Her death now makes her a martyr for many. People lit candles, others held a wake in front of their former home, laid flowers, left written condolences or expressed shock and sadness in front of television cameras.
      Protesters chant “murderer”
      Hundreds of people marched from the protest camp to the parliament building, where government decrees for more tenant protection failed on Friday due to the majority of conservative and right-wing populist parties. The left-wing head of government Pedro Sánchez therefore scheduled new elections for November 29th on Monday. “These are not deaths, these are murders” and “murderers, murderers, murderers,” chanted demonstrators at parliament…”Agency report from October 8th, 2026 in ND online 
    • Spain's all-encompassing housing crisis
      “Two weeks ago there were mass protests in Spain when 87-year-old disabled María del Carmen Abascal was thrown out of her apartment and onto the street. She had lived in her apartment for 71 years and always paid her rent. A “vulture fund”, as activists also call the company Urbagestión, bought the apartment eight years ago and then more than tripled the previous rent from 500 euros a month to 1,650 euros. But this is just a symptom of a larger problem. The complete housing situation in Spain. The Social Democratic government under Pedro Sánchez has failed to resolve this extremely tense social issue. Recently they have even thwarted weak advances by the left-wing coalition partner Sumar. We spoke to the freelance journalist Ralf Streck about the current situation in Spain.
      “Interview with Ralf Streck from October 8, 2026 on Radio CORAX 
  • The demands of the movement in Spain go far beyond the government's "fake decree": UGT and CCOO are planning a general strike against skyrocketing rents 
    • The PCE calls for preparations for the general strike on November 11th and places the issues of housing and wages at the heart of the class conflict
      “The mobilization for the right to housing, launched by the tenants' association after the eviction of Mari Carmen, joins forces with CCOO, UGT and other trade union organizations in a general strike unprecedented in Spain. The PCE emphasizes that housing costs are the main cause of the deterioration in living conditions of the working class and blames the PP, Vox, UPN and Junts for the parliamentary blockade that has prevented it from containing the speculative boom. The communist organization calls on its members and social movements to coordinate mobilizations in workplaces, neighborhoods and villages in advance to ensure the success of the strike day…” span.Report dated October 8, 2026 in Tercera Información (machine translated)
    • UGT and CCOO agree to call a general strike this fall
      “The unions are including the conflict over rents in the context of major mobilizations for affordable housing. Wages are not enough to cover housing costs and withstand inflation.
      The UGT and CCOO unions have agreed - which still needs to be confirmed by their top management bodies - to call a 24-hour general strike in the autumn to demand fair wages for access to decent housing.The organizations are thus implementing the step that they had already announced last Friday when, following the rejection of the royal housing regulations by the Council of Deputies, they announced that they would convene their governing bodies to decide how the world of work could be included in the mobilization - as part of a unified trade union action and in interaction with social movements, neighborhood initiatives and tenants' movements.
      The final date of the strike will be set together with the social organizations and the tenants' association, with the aim of mobilizing workers to join this 24-hour general strike for the right to housing and adequate wages to pay for it. Last weekend's demonstrations demonstrated the strength of this demand, and the response must be worked out together by all organizations that support this demand…” span.CGT press release from October 5th. 2026 (machine translated)
    • Protests against housing shortage in Spain: “Power is back on the streets”
      “After the failure of important rental decrees, many people took to the streets in Spain. Organizers speak of 500,000 participants in Madrid alone - the government says 70,000. Meanwhile, there is speculation about new elections. In Spain, tens of thousands of people protested again across the country against the increasing housing shortage. According to government figures, around 70,000 demonstrators took part in Madrid alone. The organizers of the protests, however, spoke of up to 500,000 participants in the capital. Madrid Tenants Association spokeswoman Valeria Racu said: “The power is back on the streets.”
      According to the state TV broadcaster RTVE, protests had been announced in more than 50 cities. A planned rally in Barcelona was postponed due to a severe weather warning.
      According to authorities, there were riots in Valencia. Police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd. About 30 demonstrators temporarily entered the well-known “City of Arts and Sciences” cultural complex before they were driven away by officials. Some participants called for a general strike on posters. (…)
      The failure of the two decrees hit Sánchez's government hard. She has hardly been able to get any initiatives through parliament since the conservative Catalan separatist party Junts, with seven MPs, broke their allegiance to her almost a year ago. According to reports in the Spanish newspaper El País, Sánchez is considering calling new elections in November. It was said yesterday that he wanted to wait for the protests on Saturday before making a decision. His office declined to comment on the reports…”Report from October 3rd, 2026 on tagesschau.de 
    • Spain: Heavy defeat for Pedro Sánchez
      “Spain's minority government falls short of a majority for its legislative package, which provided for the extension of fixed-term rental contracts and a moratorium on evictions.
      Sánchez's appeal fell on deaf ears among opponents of the housing regulations approved last Tuesday, as did Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez's appeal to Carles Puigdemont's liberal Catalan party, whose seven deputies reminded them that 90 percent of their proposals were included in the regulations. Nevertheless, Junts, which supports Catalonia's independence and gave Sánchez her votes, which would determine the absolute majority, in the 2023 prime ministerial election, stuck to the rejection. Junts spokeswoman Míriam Nogueras had previously confirmed that her party would reject the two regulations because "they allow the funds to continue buying, to continue speculating and to continue carrying out evictions." (…) The first regulation failed with 172 yes votes and 178 no votes, the second with 166 yes votes and 184 no votes.
      Speculation about new elections
      Immediately after the rejection, the leader of the right-wing Popular Party PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, accused Sánchez of exploiting the housing issue for his electoral calculations and called on him to dissolve parliament and call early elections. (…)
      The vote was accompanied by protests in front of the House of Representatives. After the first no vote, the demonstrators moved back to the Puerta del Sol square in the center of Madrid, which had been occupied for a week. There is an atmosphere of discontent and outrage on the streets, accompanied by calls for a “general strike.” In fact, many emphasize that the camp will not be disbanded until the required general strike is decided. Spain faces turbulent weeks ahead.”Article by Martin Ling from October 2nd, 2026 in ND online 
      • “One thing hasn't changed after the vote: we still need decent housing. We will continue to demand measures that protect tenants and ensure the right to decent housing. WE CONTINUE!“ SpanishPost from the UGT from October 2nd. on bsky 
    • Because of skyrocketing rents: it smells like a general strike!
      “A growing movement in Spain is fighting forced evictions through “vulture funds” and calling for a general strike for decent housing. Two urgent decrees from the left-wing government are rejected as “screwing things”.
      “If this isn’t regulated: a general strike!” This was stated by Óscar Reina, the head of the militant union of Andalusian workers (SAT) in view of the nationwide mass protests against forced evictions (more on the SAT union). There should be “no more Maricarmen Abascal,” added Óscar Reina, noting that the 87-year-old woman with walking difficulties was thrown out on the street in Madrid last week. (…)
      After large demonstrations across the country at the weekend and after the occupation of the central Puerta del Sol square in the capital Madrid, squares in Cádiz, Barcelona, ​​Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela are now also occupied. The anarcho-syndicalist union CGT had called for this. And the demonstrations continue everywhere, with many unions calling for them.
      Under pressure from the street, the government reacted quickly. The tenants' union had previously presented its “Maricarmen Decree” and called for “unrestricted implementation”. “Otherwise the continued existence of the government makes no sense,” she explained. She is concerned with “structural measures”, after all, Article 47 of the Constitution even provides for “the right to decent and appropriate housing”. Despite everything, even vulnerable people such as Maricarmen or families with small children are thrown out onto the streets without being offered alternative living space.
      The demands
      With the support of trade unions, there are now calls for temporary rentals to be regulated. Rents would have to be frozen and rental contracts automatically extended to “permanent contracts”. An appeal is being made to the major unions CCOO and UGT “to call for a general strike for housing and against high living costs if the decree is not passed.” Since the heads of the two unions have visited the occupiers of the Puerta del Sol, where the general strike demand is supported by the assembly, hope is growing.
      In the Basque Country, the demand for a general strike finds fertile ground among the majority unions ELA and LAB. Chances of the first nationwide strike in 14 years are increasing as the ruling coalition has split the decree into two decrees. This is not only rejected as “screwing” by those occupying the square, but also by the left-wing Podemos party, whose votes the government also needs. For this reason alone, the adoption of both decrees is uncertain for the minority government, which needs the support of very different parties.
      The “fake decree”
      Dividing it into bite-sized pieces is a “tactic so that in the end only crumbs are left,” explained tenant union spokeswoman Alicia del Rio. She speaks of a “disgrace,” but is campaigning for acceptance with her union. Since the Podemos party, on whose votes the government depends, has tied its vote to the tenants' association's recommendation, a problem for the government has disappeared. However, the assumption is not certain, as the Catalan JxCat, which has formulated “big problems”, also has to agree.
      Actually, everyone is dissatisfied because there are no structural measures. Contrary to what was announced, the “vulture funds” are not even prohibited from buying up additional apartments. Even if both decrees were passed in Friday's special session of Parliament, evictions would only be suspended until 2030. This would only apply to vulnerable groups and if there is no alternative housing offer. Rental contracts should only be automatically extended until 2028.
      Lucía Nistal, a literature professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid, spoke of a “fake decree” to those gathered at the occupied Puerta del Sol. She is calling for parliament to be surrounded on Friday, a large demonstration to be held on Saturday and then a general strike to be held. And further: “It's about our lives, we didn't come here to be sent home with fraud and crumbs!”...”Article by Ralf Streck from October 2, 2026 in work – Newspaper of the Swiss trade union unia
    • New outraged movement in Spain: Are the protests against forced evictions turning into a general strike against the housing crisis?
      “In Spain, the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her apartment in Madrid, where she had lived for 71 years, sparked a huge wave of protests that ultimately led to Maricarmen Abasca being able to return to her apartment. The government of Pedro Sánchez also wants to react. By decree, evictions are to be suspended until 2030 if socially disadvantaged people are affected and no alternative housing is available for them. Expiring rental contracts are to be extended until December 31, 2028 and large real estate funds are to be banned from buying residential buildings in Spain until 2028. However, the decrees are likely to fail in parliament, explains our Spain correspondent, the freelance journalist Ralf Streck. He also explains that the appearance of the decrees is deceptive.”Interview from October 2, 2026 on Radio Dreyeckland  
    • “Protests over housing continue because evictions continue. Paca Blanco, Erandio, Málaga, Olga: behind every number are people who are risking their homes, their health and sometimes their entire lives. As long as an apartment can be worth more as an asset than as a home, there will be reasons why spaces remain full.” SpanishPost from Spanish Revolution from October 1st, 2026 on bsky with video
• “Ni una Maricarmen más”: Forced eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal is driving massive protests against housing shortages and rent extortion beyond Madrid 
  • Maricarmen's success cannot remain symbolic
    “After an unsuccessful forced eviction in Madrid, the fight for affordable housing continues. The anger of the streets must not subside. (…) At the same time, an incident that took place just minutes after the decree was passed shows how necessary pressure and organization on the street remains. A few streets away from the camp, demonstrators from the camp prevented another attempt to evacuate. Police forces were already inside the apartment of Olga, an elderly woman who lives there with her family. When hundreds came from the camp to defend the woman, the officers left without having achieved anything. Olga and her family thanked the cheering crowd on the street from the balcony. Wanting to brutally remove people from their apartments while at the same time a new law is being passed that is supposed to protect them from precisely such evictions shows how brazenly landlords are acting. Luckily, just a few meters away there was a whole square full of people whose anger about forced evictions could hardly be greater…”Comment by Henrike Stier from September 29, 2026 in ND online 
  • “Today, 23 cities have mobilized to demand the “Maricarmen Decree”.
    They can no longer pretend they don't hear us: the fight for housing has brought an entire country to its feet.“ SpanishPosted by Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos de Madrid on September 29th. on bsky 
  • The “Izquierda Unida” calls for the mobilization to continue to ensure that the two legislative decrees on housing are confirmed on Friday
    “The "Izquierda Unida" stresses in a statement that the "progress" contained in the two texts is the "result of popular pressure" which has made it possible to adopt measures that "overcome the PSOE's resistance to more profound reforms", although they "do not represent an end point", but rather "the beginning of a struggle that must be continued in order to address the structural problems in the housing sector“…” span.Report from September 29, 2026 on tercerainformacion.es (machine translated)
  • Unresolved housing issue is proving to be explosive for Spanish left-wing government
    “…The movement, which began with a large demonstration immediately after the eviction, has been expanding since 2011. At the weekend there were demonstrations in 40 cities for decent living. Road blockades also took place in Barcelona on Monday and there are calls to occupy squares across the country. The government should finally be forced to act, “otherwise the government will fall,” is what the “Puerta del Sol” in Madrid formulated in the direction of the government to finally comply with the constitution. Demands for a nationwide general strike are also being raised, as here by the head of the militant agricultural workers' union SAT.
    Social issues are the ticking time bomb for the left-wing government
    Young people in particular feel ripped off by the self-proclaimed “most progressive government” in Spain, which has ruled the country for eight years. But hardly anything has happened on the housing issue for eight years. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Social Democrats (PSOE) have been thwarting even timid attempts by their more left-wing coalition partner Sumar - or previously by Podemos - for years. This party was once formed through the outraged movement. Just a week ago, the PSOE abstained from a Sumar draft law that would no longer allow apartments to be sold to vulture funds. Social Democratic-led institutions also do this again and again. (…)
    It is astonishing that neither a review of exorbitant rents nor a rent reduction appears in the debate and that the central problem that there is practically no social housing in Spain is largely ignored. As far as social housing existed, most of it was privatized long ago. The renowned economist Santiago Niño Becerra has been pointing out again and again for years that there is a lack of supply. He also points to almost four million “empty” apartments. Holiday apartments that are often only used for two weeks a year, as evaluations of electricity and water consumption showed. (…)
    What is known so far about the decree that PSOE and Sumar are negotiating will certainly not satisfy either parties like Podemos or activists on the street. It's another band-aid with which the Social Democrats once again just want to buy time to save themselves through the elections, so that they can make big promises again about fixing everything afterwards. According to the previous draftVulnerable people should only receive protection from eviction until 2028 , writes Eldiario.es, which has the document. Rents in existing valid rental agreements should only have the opportunity to fix the rental price for up to two years. You don't have to be a soothsayer to say that this alone will never be enough to get the necessary left-wing votes for the decree. Even coalition partner Sumar made it clear late on Monday that an agreement was “not yet in sight” because the decree had to take into account “the demands put forward by the tenants’ union”. Sumar is transparently trying to show himself as a representative of the movement ahead of upcoming new elections. Whether this can be taken advantage of seems unlikely so far. The anger is too great given the many broken promises.
    The movement has already achieved a victory. The pressure on the Urbagestión company has now led to it giving in, after it had previously refused any negotiations. An agreement was concluded through mediationMaricarmen can return to her apartment . The exact conditions for the return are not yet known and the 87-year-old still has to agree.”Article by Ralf Streck from September 29, 2026 on overton-magazin.de 
  • More than 300,000 people flock to Madrid to demand the “Maricarmen Decree”: permanent rental contracts, a price freeze and an end to evictions... and set up their tents on the Puerta del Sol
    “A tent camp spontaneously formed at Puerta del Sol to demand the immediate adoption of the decree.
    The tenants' association has gathered more than 300,000 people in a demonstration to demand the immediate adoption of the “Maricarmen Decree” in the Council of Ministers next Tuesday. At the same time, after the end of the demonstration, a tent camp was set up at Puerta del Sol, which, according to participants, also called for the adoption of the Maricarmen Decree. Maricarmen himself called on Pedro Sánchez to adopt the decree in a video published on social networks: “I want what happened to me to contribute to people fighting and unjust laws being changed.”
    This camp increases the pressure on the government: what happened with Maricarmen cannot be repeated and it is urgent to take structural measures to change the housing model in Spain so that it is no longer a speculative business but becomes a guaranteed right.
    We recall that the union calls for the adoption of the “Maricarmen” decree as a starting point to combat the housing crisis that affects millions of people in the country. Specifically, the following demands are made:
    1) Automatic extension of all contracts so that they become permanent, as is already the case in England, Germany or Austria.
    2) Structural measures to curb forced evictions.
    3) Freezing rent adjustments linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
    4) Reform of the Municipal Tenancies Act (LAU) to regulate seasonal and room rentals.
    5) Effective extension of current contracts.
    At the same time, protest rallies are scheduled in numerous cities across the country, including Burgos, León, Ibiza, Córdoba, Zamora, Almería and Huesca, among others, and further calls are expected…” span.Report from September 27, 2026 in Tercera Información  (machine translated) with many embedded videos
  • “Maricarmen has a message for everyone: This must not happen again.
    We need a decree that prevents any eviction without alternative housing, guarantees secure rental contracts, freezes rents and puts an end to landlord fraud.” SpanishPost from Sindicato de Inquilinas Madrid from September 26th. on bsky with the video by Maricarmen Abascal
  • “We are in Plaza del Sol because the eviction of Maricarmen cannot go unpunished and because none of us can be next.What was done to her was not an isolated incident: it was the result of a system that protected the businesses of rental owners while driving people out of their homes.We demand that Maricarmen be allowed to return to their home and that the government adopt the “Maricarmen Decree”: no eviction without alternative housing, a rent freeze, secure tenancy agreements and an end to fraud.Today we are taking to the streets again to make one thing clear: our homes are not your business. Let's go“ SpanishStatement by the Tenants Association Sindicato de Inquilinas Madrid on September 26, 2026 on Instagram with video (machine translated)
  • “From the tent camp at Puerta del Sol in Madrid, Alicia del Río, spokesperson for the Tenants Association [Sindicato de Inquilinas Madrid], stressed the need to act very decisively, explaining that the government would be pointless if the measures of the “decree” were not adopted. “Maricarmen.” She also pointed out that further progress is needed to prevent other people from having to go through the same thing as Maricarmen.”Video from September 27th, 2026 on bsky 
  • Rent increased by 275 percent: eviction of 87-year-old puts thousands on the streets
    “In Madrid, an investor drastically increases the rent of an 87-year-old woman - to 2,650 euros per month. The senior citizen cannot pay this and is forcibly removed from her apartment. The case sparked a wave of protests in Spain. A few days after the eviction of an 87-year-old in Madrid, thousands of people demonstrated in the Spanish capital for affordable housing and more tenant protection. Images of Maricarmen Abascal being taken from her apartment on a stretcher on Wednesday have reignited the debate over affordable housing in Spain. “You could be the next Maricarmen” and “Not a single Maricarmen anymore,” said banners at the demonstration. (…)There have been daily protests in Spain since Abascal's eviction. Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is under pressure after he announced last year that he would address the housing crisis. The cabinet wants to discuss a package of measures known as the “Maricarmen Decree” next week. This includes automatic extension of rental agreements and stricter regulations for evictions. Critics blame, among other things, real estate funds and short-term rentals via platforms such as Airbnb for rising prices and the shortage of available living space in Spain.”Agency report from September 26th, 2026 on n-tv.de 
  • Maricarmen case: Spain has had enough
    “Housing crisis and forced evictions: Huge demonstrations and protest camp in Madrid force the government to give in
    In Spanish real estate jargon, an apartment in which funds want to invest but in which tenants still live is referred to as “con bicho”. Apartments “with vermin,” as it is translated, are a lucrative purchase to the detriment of current tenants, especially those with old, usually particularly cheap rental agreements. In Spain there is insufficient legal protection against attempts by “vulture funds” to kick out residents after the apartment has been purchased. With small differences, there are the same problems as in Berlin in the debate about the purchase of apartments by the city in order to curb “rentier capitalism”. (…)
    The eviction was broadcast live and sparked nationwide outrage after the company Urbagestión increased the rent from 500 to 2,650 euros and the tenant could no longer afford it. Such astronomical amounts have apparently become normal in the capital. The fact that Spaniards can now take so much out of their pockets for rent has led to a real national crisis. Maricarmen is not the only one affected, and she is not alone either. On the day of her eviction, activists from the tenants' syndicate "Sindicato de Inquilinas" stood by her: They camped in front of her apartment and were exposed to police violence. Court proceedings now await them. Several demonstrations took place across Spain on Thursday, and on Saturday, according to the organizers, around 300,000 people gathered in the center of Madrid, where around 150 tents were later set up. A number of activists spent Sunday night in front of Madrid City Hall. A choir sang the song "En la Plaza de mi Pueblo" (In the Square of My Village), an anarchist workers' song from the time of the Spanish War, as journalist Olga Rodríguez reported on X. “But tell me, comrade, if these lands belong to the Lord, why have we never seen him working at the plow?” the text says. There were also protests in other cities. (…)
    Pedro Sánchez has now been in power for eight years, but dissatisfaction remains. On the one hand, the incumbent left-wing government has so far refused to abolish the so-called muzzle law, which was introduced at the time to criminalize the “May 15th Movement”. On the other hand, the housing crisis is still far from being addressed.
    The left-green coalition partner Sumar knows that the government is more unstable than ever and a solid protest movement could mean its end. The next evictions of the elderly, the sick, children and other particularly needy people are already planned. That's why Sumar Sánchez's social democratic PSOE called for a moratorium on forced evictions of vulnerable people to be decided on Tuesday, which would once again postpone a fundamental solution to the problem into the future. Such a postponement, as negotiated by the coalition of PSOE and Unidas Podemos in Sánchez's first legislative period, expired at the end of last year because the right and ultra-right from the People's Party (PP) and Vox as well as the Catalans from Carles Puigdemont's Junts party voted against it. Now it is to be enforced by decree – the so-called Maricarmen Decree.”Article by Carmela Negrete in the young world from September 28, 2026 
  • Spain: Merciless for profit. The forced eviction of a pensioner's apartment sparks protests
    "In Madrid, an 87-year-old woman was carried against her will on Wednesday from the apartment in which she had lived for 70 years. A judge had previously ordered the eviction, even though Maricarmen, who was confined to a wheelchair, had always paid her rent on time and had gone to court several times. Background: a legal trick by the real estate company Urbagestión. The original rental agreement was signed by Maricarmen's father during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. When he died, the mother had to sign a new contract sign because women were not legally competent during the Franco era. After her death, this contract was transferred to Maricarmen. The company that had bought the apartment now disputed its validity. In order to oust Maricarmen, it increased the rent from 500 to 2,650 euros, which was impossible for the pensioner. In solidarity with the person affected, hundreds of people gathered in front of the apartment - including neighbors and politicians and local celebrities. Many of them had camped in front of the house that night. An anonymous donor even offered to pay the increased rent and the existing debts, which Urbagestión refused. The police arrived in the early hours of the morning and then blocked access to the house and then to the entire street the police broke down the front door to gain access to the apartment.Press representatives were expelled from the exclusion zone. (…) Fernando de los Santos, spokesman for the tenants' association, complained on television that it was incomprehensible why so many public resources were being used and such a large police operation was taking place so that a "vulture fund" like Urbagestión could evict a pensioner from her apartment, only to then speculate with the property - "rather, we have to ban all these companies from our cities." Article by Carmela Negrete in the young world from September 24, 2026 
• The Association of Tenants Associations organizes the first nationwide rent strike in Spain against almost 30,000 apartments belonging to the real estate agency “Alquiler Seguro” 
  “The trade union federation has announced that it will visit the almost 30,000 apartments managed by Alquiler Seguro throughout the national territory to inform and organize tenants.
  The association warns that Alquiler Seguro's business model cannot withstand a strike of this type.
  Rental housing prices must be drastically reduced because every 5 to 7 years we are forced to pay more than €4,000 and it is foreseeable that this amount will continue to rise.
  The Federation of Tenants' Associations has announced that it will launch a campaign to organize a rent strike against the real estate group Alquiler Seguro, which it accuses of "systematic and structural" practices that violate the law.
  The campaign follows years of conflict, complaints and lawsuits. The organization states unequivocally: "We cannot wait any longer. We are fed up with the illegal fees, the imposition of insurance and the obligation to use service providers from the same group of companies, the lack of maintenance and dozens of abuses such as charging up to 200 euros to view an apartment."
  As a first step, the Association of Tenants' Associations has announced that it will visit the almost 30,000 apartments managed by Alquiler Seguro throughout the national territory to inform and organize tenants. According to her, hundreds of families have already organized themselves, many of whom are affected and have turned to the unions on their own initiative: "They are tenants who called us after years of abuse. People have had enough and want to take action."
  The main demands concern the recovery of the stolen money, but this fight is not only for the tenants of “Alquiler Seguro”, but also to combat the increasing costs of access to rental housing: “Every five to seven years we are forced to pay more than €4,000 to move into a rental apartment, and the costs continue to rise.” (…)
  The Association of Tenants' Associations is an association of tenants' associations from more than a dozen cities and regions of the country (Catalonia, Madrid, Valencia, Zaragoza, Seville, Málaga, Ibiza, Cádiz, Asturias, Vigo, Guadalajara, Segovia…) that coordinates common strategies to defend the right to housing.
  The association was founded last year as a coordination platform for the tenant movement at the state level and aims to promote joint campaigns against abuses in the rental market, promote the collective organization of tenants and serve as an instrument to expand local conflicts to the state level.
  The campaign against “Alquiler Seguro” has also been joined by the Housing Union of Murcia, LAB Etxebizitza (Basque Country), the Housing Union of Carolines (Alicante) and Derecho al Techo (Gran Canaria)..” SpanishReport from April 7th, 2026 in Tercera Información (machine translated)
• Housing crisis in Barcelona: The bouncers. How private companies are clearing out apartments in Spain - and fishing on the right edge
  "A stately Art Nouveau corner house in the Eixample district of Barcelona, not far from Plaça Catalunya. Next door to the Gambian honorary consulate, several law offices and a facelift massage studio is an office that at first glance could pass for another law firm. But this one not only interprets the law, it also takes action. "What we do is necessary because the regular route in Spain is so slow," says Jorge Sorbera, lawyer and founder of “Okupas Fuera”, an eviction company that specializes in squatted houses and apartments, turns them on when they have problems with squatted apartments. They resort to them to avoid the lengthy process of going to court, says Sorbera. “We would put pressure on the squatters to leave the apartment more quickly,” he claims simple as its name: squatters (“okupas”) out (“fuera”). How the employees persuade the unwanted residents to leave depends on the case, says the boss. “It's about mediating between the two sides,” he explains and emphasizes: “Our methods are completely legal.” (…) However, established tenants are also repeatedly driven into the muscular arms of the eviction companies. (…) This usually happens when trying to clear out an entire block of flats in order to set up lucrative holiday apartments there, for example."The landlords start throwing some people out, then they send these tough guys who try to intimidate them until they leave their apartment out of fear." Tenants who have a valid contract are also often affected by this. (…) Even if some companies present themselves as smart mediators between the conflicting parties, they are also publicly warned against them. It was only in February that the Spanish House of Representatives voted on the left-wing Podemos party's proposal to ban the clearance companies, but this was rejected. Podemos Secretary General Ione Belarra spoke of “paramilitary, fascist and violent organizations” in this context. The left-wing online medium “Sistema 161” found that there are connections between Spanish eviction companies and the right-wing extremist milieu. “Fascist militancy” can be proven in more than 40 percent of these companies. If you expand the question to include people who are committed to ultra-right positions or organizations such as the Vox party, more than half of the 50 companies surveyed for the research are affected. (…) Mario also makes no secret of where he stands politically. He has been a Vox voter since day one. Migration is one of Spain's main problems, he explains the next day on the way to his current case. "Out with all the criminal immigrants, and if you move around someone else's house, you should be thrown out too," it's that simple. "Both are mostly foreigners." Actually, he thinks you should have the right to shoot at intruders. But that is just his private opinion, not that of the company.Would he also be of this opinion if he didn't do this job? He thinks: "No, probably not that extreme." (…) "The Desokupa phenomenon is extremely dangerous," says rental activist Carme Arcarazo. "A concentrated power is being created that displays a kind of vigilante justice and evades any public control." Article by Frida Nsonde from August 27, 2025 in New Germany online 
• Spain: “We are now seeing that the funds are getting scared.” Families in Madrid and Barcelona went on rent strike - with success.
  In theInterview by Carmela Negrete in the young world from May 9, 2025 Fernando de los Santos Menéndez from the Madrid Tenants Syndicate reports on the tenant strike:"In Barcelona there are dozens who have stopped paying their rent to the La Caixa bank. Here in Madrid, several tenants of Nestar-Azora, one of the three major landlords in Spain, have joined the strike. They have stopped paying the community costs, property tax and default insurance. There are also many other residents from different buildings who have organized themselves. We want to introduce them to the idea of the tenant strike. (…) We are preparing strikes against companies like Blackstone and others. We are currently thinking about how we as a collective can make this legally possible for private landlords. For example, it would be conceivable to call a strike because of defects in an apartment that is not in a habitable condition - or perhaps even a general rent strike at the national level against these rent prices that we can no longer pay - at the moment they are around 60 percent of our salary. We are working on the necessary organization of people and collecting donations for a solidarity fund Caixa or Blackstone, we see that they are building abusive clauses into their contracts. The problem is that they are using their power to exploit isolated, frightened neighbors who don't know how to challenge it. But if we visit these buildings and organize them, those affected can organize themselves with the support of the syndicate and their neighborhood - and then they can defend themselves against these abuses (…) We have one like this The case was won and a trial is currently underway in Madrid.(…) Ownership is increasingly concentrated in a few hands. (…) They are accumulating more and more property, but we now see that they are becoming afraid. In some cases they withdraw because they know that if they buy a building they could run into an organized bloc and the tenant syndicate. These people will defend themselves, not pay attention to unfair terms and not pay.”
• Hundreds of thousands in more than 40 Spanish cities against the housing industry, in Madrid alone over 150,000 people defy police violence and protest on April 10th. further
  • Tenant power on the streets: Hundreds of thousands of people are protesting nationwide for affordable housing. The situation is particularly dramatic in large cities and on the coast
    "The tenant movement in Spain is showing strength. On Saturday, hundreds of thousands protested in more than 40 cities across the country under the motto "Let's end the housing business." Holding their keys in the air, they demanded an end to forced evictions and the ever-increasing housing shortage in Madrid, for example. While the organizers assume there will be 100,000 participants in the capital, the authorities are talking about around 15,000. According to the Tenants' union 100,000 people take to the streets for the right to affordable and good housing.
    In Madrid, Valeria Racu, spokeswoman for the tenants' union, described the mobilization as the beginning of the end of a "parasitic system that is eating up the salaries and futures" of millions of Spaniards. “Never again will we leave our neighborhoods and cities, never again will we allow ourselves to be driven out.” Racu also criticized the inaction of those in power (…)
    It was the first time since the economic crisis of 2008, when the housing bubble burst, that so many people took to the streets in Spain demanding the right to housing. There were already mass protests in several cities last year. (…)
    Since December, concerns about housing have officially been the top priority for Spaniards. This was the result of a survey by the CIS statistics office. No wonder, as rental prices rose by a national average of 58 percent between 2015 and 2023. Incomes have not kept pace with such increases in prices for a long time. By 2022, they would have increased by an average of around 17 percent. This just corresponds to the price increases caused by inflation. In Spain, the majority of apartments are rented for a limited period of time. The result is often steep rent increases as soon as a new contract is drawn up. In addition, Spain is one of the countries in Europe where there are extremely few publicly owned apartments. (…)
    According to the Observatorio del Alquiler, residents of the Community of Madrid spent an average of 36 percent of their income on rent last year. As a result, more and more young adults are living with their parents for long periods of time; Today it is two out of three of 18 to 34 year olds. And the number of evictions is also increasing. As the Consejo Regional del Poder Judicial indicates, the number of evictions carried out in Spain in 2024 of people who could not pay their rent increased by 4.5 percent. People were forcibly thrown out of their homes a total of 27,564 times.”Article by Frederic Schnatterer, Madrid, in Junge Weltn from April 8th, 2025 with 3 photos
  •  See photos and videos at #YoVoy5A
  • “Let's continue to make history every day. This Thursday, massive vigils in 17 neighborhoods of Madrid
    There may be more in the coming days, pay attention to our networks!  Come and bring all your neighbors with you!“ SpanishTweet from Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos de Madrid from April 7th. 
  • “Communiqué from the Madrid housing movement in response to the repression on Saturday at the demonstration
    Our solidarity is in the face of repression“ SpanishTweet from Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos de Madrid from April 7th. with video of police violence and the graphic of the statement
• “Stop the housing industry”: On Saturday, April 5th, there will be demonstrations in 40 cities in Spain for the right to housing and, among other things, a reduction in rents by 50%
  • The first nationwide demonstration for the right to housing has been scheduled for April 5th.
    “On April 5, cities across Spain will take to the streets under the slogan “End Housing,” called for by dozens of housing movement organizations in Spain. Tenants' associations from all over Spain call on you to take part in the mobilization next Saturday, April 5th. After the massive housing rights demonstrations that took place in the country's major cities this fall, we are going one step further on April 5, taking to the streets in dozens of cities simultaneously to strike a single blow.
    Exorbitant rental prices are the main cause of the impoverishment of the working class and a barrier to access to housing. The enrichment of a small rentier minority at the expense of the economic suffocation of a large part of society, the impunity with which real estate bosses operate, and the impossibility of realizing life projects because there is no stable access to housing have sparked social outrage and consolidated the consensus that housing can no longer be a business but must become a right. In tourist cities the situation is even more serious: seasonal rentals and the tourism model drive women out of their neighborhoods and make workers in this sector unsafe… With governments protecting the interests of real estate and tourism bosses, the tenants' union is growing in the country's main cities. Only a grassroots union organization can overthrow the rentier system that maintains the current housing model. In recent years a network of trade unions has been formed in Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Vigo, Asturias, Cádiz, Málaga, Seville, Zaragoza and Ibiza…” span.Communication from the Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos de Madrid dated 06/03/2025 (machine translated)
  • “40 cities will take to the streets on April 5th
    Next Saturday we will march together in 40 cities across the country to end the housing deal
    Only through rent strikes and our union organization will we be able to lower rents.” SpanishTweet from Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos de Madrid on March 31, 2025 
    Originally published bylabournet.de
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