Overview
- On Friday, October 2, the Congress of Deputies voted down two urgent housing decrees after seven Junts deputies joined the Partido Popular and Vox to deliver decisive 'no' votes.
- The decrees would have frozen evictions for vulnerable households until 2030, limited speculative fund purchases, extended expiring leases, tightened short‑term rental rules, and proposed automatic contract renewals in a separate text.
- Thousands have camped in Puerta del Sol and held caceroladas, and protests spread to more than 50 cities with large marches, clashes with police in some places, and organizers calling for a general strike.
- The parliamentary defeat has exposed the coalition’s narrow arithmetic, prompted Sánchez to weigh early elections with a possible November 29 date reported by media, and sharpened tensions between the government, tenant movements, and left partners.
- The crisis reflects a deeper housing shortage and rapid rent growth in Spanish cities, strong public support for tighter rent controls and social housing, and new scrutiny of lawmakers’ property holdings that fuels public anger.