The Sindicato de Inquilinas de Catalunya has called for a rally in Barcelona at 7.00 pm on Monday, 28 September 2026. The protest is due to take place outside the Palau de Congressos de Barcelona at the Avinguda Diagonal and coincide with an appearance by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at the gala for the Premis La Vanguardia The organisation is calling on the government to enshrine key demands of the tenants’ movement in an announced housing decree.
The association lists indefinite rental contracts and automatic contract extensions as its key demands. Representatives of the Sindicato de Inquilinas de Catalunya said they would make clear to the prime minister their opposition to a “show decree” if the proposal contained only cosmetic changes. The call follows mobilisations in recent days, in which housing groups in several cities have drawn attention to rising rents and insecure tenancy arrangements.
The organisers say the timing is deliberate: the rally is intended to raise the issue’s profile while Pedro Sánchez is expected in the city. At the same time, tenants’ organisations are stepping up pressure, as the government is due to discuss and adopt a housing decree in Madrid on Tuesday, according to the latest information. No official final details of the planned measures were available by Sunday. Government sources say consultations are under way within the governing coalition and with parliamentary groups.
The association uses the activist-coined name “decreto Maricarmen” as an umbrella term for a set of measures. Alongside extensions to tenancies, these include clearly defined rent caps and uniform, enforceable rules on contract duration. These demands are being debated controversially in Catalonia and Madrid. Supporters see them as a way to provide tenants with short-term relief. Critics warn of negative effects on the supply of rental properties and point to the legal limits of regulation.
In Barcelona, tenants’ groups have reported growing organisation at neighbourhood and block level for months. Such structures are intended to facilitate collective negotiations with landlords and bring legal advice together. It remains unclear whether, and to what extent, the government will take up these concerns in the expected ministerial proposal. What is clear is that housing is a highly resonant political issue in Catalonia and is likely once again to test relations between social movements and the central government.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).