Housing crisis, massive demonstrations in 40 cities in Spain over housing rents

Hundreds, thousands of people demonstrated today in 40 cities against rising rents and the lack of affordable housing in a country that enjoys the fastest economic growth in Europe but suffers from a severe housing shortage, a crisis further exacerbated by the tourism boom.

Spain's center-left government is trying to find a balance between attracting tourists and immigrants to fill job gaps and keeping rents affordable for Spanish citizens as short-term rental properties for tourists are proliferating in major cities and coastal destinations.

"No matter who is in government, we must defend housing rights," chanted protesters in Madrid, where more than 150,000 people marched through the center of the capital, according to the local tenants' union.

Average rents have doubled and house prices have risen by 44% in the past decade, according to data from property website Idealista, far outpacing wage growth. At the same time, the supply of rental homes has halved since the 2020 pandemic.

"They are throwing us all out to build tourist apartments," said Margarita Aizpourou, a 65-year-old resident of the popular Lavapies neighborhood. In the block where she lives, the landlords told about 100 families living there that their leases would not be renewed.

Homeowners' associations and experts say existing regulations discourage long-term rentals, and property owners find renting out to tourists or foreigners for days or several months more profitable and safer.

Spain welcomed a record 94 million tourists in 2024, making it the second most visited country in the world. At the same time, an influx of thousands of immigrants is increasing the housing deficit to 500,000 homes, according to the Bank of Spain.

According to official figures, only around 120,000 new homes are built in Spain each year, 1/6 of pre-crisis levels in 2008, deepening the housing crisis.

26-year-old Wendy Davila stressed that the problem is not just concentrated in the city center, as rent prices have increased "everywhere."

" You can't live in Madrid sharing an apartment with four other people ," she said. (A2 Televizion)