Briefing
Spain is extending protection from evictions for certain particularly vulnerable households until the end of 2030. The Standing Committee of the Congress of Deputies confirmed a corresponding government decree on 12 November by 35 votes to 34. It rejected a second decree on the generally indefinite extension of rental contracts.
The Eviction protection does not apply across the board to all households. Under certain conditions, the decree provides for eviction proceedings to be suspended where those affected are considered particularly vulnerable and have no other housing option. Its application depends, among other things, on the type of proceedings and the claimant. Judicial review remains decisive.
The confirmed package of measures also allows an exceptional extension of certain Tenancy agreements by up to two years. According to the newspaper elDiario.es, this concerns contracts expiring before the end of 2028, provided tenants make their payments. The decree also includes rules for fixed-term rentals and the rental of individual rooms.
The second decree, voted on separately, was intended to provide greater security for tenancies through recurring extensions. It also set out the conditions under which landlords could refuse to continue a tenancy or would have to compensate tenants. The Standing Committee rejected this text by 35 votes to 34. The Basque Nationalist Party supported the general package of measures, but voted against the second measure.
According to the news agency Europa Press, the government parties PSOE and Sumar and the Basque Nationalist Party were among those who voted for the confirmed decree. The conservative People’s Party, Vox and the Catalan party Junts voted against it. On the second proposal, the Basque Nationalist Party joined the opponents.
The vote took place in the Standing Committee because Parliament had been dissolved ahead of an early election. During this period, the committee performs certain parliamentary functions. In October, the Congress of Deputies had already rejected earlier housing proposals from the government. The vote on 12 November followed a nationwide general strike, with housing also at the centre of attention.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).