Overview
- This week the government circulated a draft national housing decree that reintroduces the previously rejected ley del suelo and includes an extraordinary two‑year extension for rental contracts that expire before mid‑2028.
- Podemos called the ley del suelo a “red line” and says it will withhold support, Junts has signalled opposition for different reasons, and only the PNV has publicly backed the measure, leaving convalidation in the Congreso uncertain.
- Critics say the ley del suelo would shorten the window to challenge urban plans, create a list of formal defects that limit legal appeals, and change rules on reversal rights for expropriated land, which opponents warn would ease large‑scale speculative development.
- Regional governments moved this week to act independently: Catalonia and the Comuns agreed a proposició de llei to convert hotels, offices and commercial premises into permanent protected housing and raise edificability to add an estimated 15,000–20,000 VPO over four years, while Madrid approved a plan that the city estimates could yield up to 20,000 protected homes.
- If the national decree fails in Congress, the clash could accelerate regional measures that lock new units into long‑term social housing and bar short‑term tourist uses, changing where and how quickly people seeking affordable homes see relief.