Spain has, following nationwide protests over housing costs, a tenant protection package confirmed. On 12 November 2026, the Standing Committee of the Congress of Deputies voted 35 to 34 in favour of a government decree which, among other things, suspends certain evictions and allows temporary extensions to tenancy agreements A second decree with more far-reaching rules for open-ended tenancies was rejected.
Protection against eviction applies until the end of 2030 to people in a financially or socially precarious situation whom the regional authorities are unable to offer alternative accommodation. Their social hardship must be formally established. The measure is therefore not a blanket ban on all evictions.
According to elDiario.es, tenants who have made their payments and whose contract expires before the end of 2028 can apply for an extraordinary extension of up to two years. The package also provides that, for annual rent adjustments until the end of 2027, rent may not be increased if it is already above the state reference price. The decree also contains rules on renting individual rooms and on fixed-term tenancies.
According to the Associated Press news agency, the second decree would have allowed tenants to automatically renew their rental contracts. Landlords would have had to pay compensation in certain circumstances if ending a tenancy. The proposal was defeated by 34 votes to 35. The Basque Nationalist Party supported the first package, but voted against the second alongside the right-wing opposition parties.
The Standing Committee takes on parliamentary duties after the Congress of Deputies has been dissolved following the snap election. In the smaller body, the government and its supporters hold a narrow majority. An earlier version of the measures had failed in the plenary session. The parliamentary election is scheduled for 29 November.
The vote was preceded on 11 November by a nationwide general strike for affordable housing. In Madrid and Barcelona, people took to the streets. According to Spanish government representatives, around 120,000 people took part in the demonstration in Madrid despite heavy rain.
A symbol of the housing protests became Maricarmen Abascal. The 87-year-old had been evicted from her home in Madrid on 23 September and died in hospital on 7 October. Her case intensified public debate about rising housing costs. The conservative People’s Party announced, according to the Associated Press, that it would reverse the housing measures if it took over the government.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).