Spain approves housing reforms after nationwide strike over costs

What the report says

Spain’s parliament has approved a set of housing reforms aimed at easing pressure from high rents and a broader affordability crisis, according to Al Jazeera. The vote came one day after a nationwide strike and mass demonstrations over housing costs, with protests spreading across cities including Madrid and Malaga. The measures are meant to curb evictions and limit some forms of real-estate speculation.

Al Jazeera reported that the interim lower house backed one decree in a narrow 35-34 vote. That text extends protections for tenants judged by social services to be in a vulnerable financial or social position, provided regional authorities cannot place them elsewhere. A separate anti-speculation provision was rejected after the centre-right Basque party sided with right-wing lawmakers, arguing it could push owners to take homes off the rental market and reduce supply.

The legislation follows months of unrest over housing, intensified by the widely publicized eviction of an elderly woman, Maricarmen, and her later death, which prompted further public anger. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s minority government had already tried and failed to pass similar decrees earlier, and then called a snap election after parliament blocked them.

The reforms may be short-lived: the conservative Popular Party has said it would отмена them if it wins the upcoming election, which polls suggest is possible. As reported by Al Jazeera, that makes the future of the housing measures uncertain even after their passage.