The Standing Committee Spain’s Congress of Deputies on 12 November approved a housing decree introduced by the government. Among other things, it includes time-limited protection from evictions for people in financial hardship who have no alternative accommodation. A second decree to extend tenancy agreements and provide possible compensation for tenants, however, failed to win a majority.
According to the newspaper elDiario.es, the government parties and several smaller parties voted in favour of the approved package, including the Basque Nationalist Party. The conservative People’s Party, Vox and the Catalan party Junts voted against it. The Basque Nationalist Party rejected the second decree.
The Permanent Deputation decides on such proposals while parliament is dissolved following the announcement of an early election. The parliamentary election is scheduled for 29 November; the campaign begins on 13 November. The housing policy is among the issues being contested ahead of the vote.
For certain eviction proceedings, the approved decree provides for a suspension until 31 December 2030. One condition, among others, is that the person concerned is in financial hardship and has no alternative accommodation. The details vary depending on who is seeking the eviction. It is therefore not a general ban on all forced evictions. The decree also sets out rules for the competent public authorities to intervene in cases of rent arrears.
Under certain conditions, existing contracts for a main residence may be exceptionally extended by up to two years. Tenants must apply for this and be up to date with their rent payments. The package also regulates short-term and room rentals, as well as tax matters relating to holiday homes.
The failed second decree concerned a different form of contract extension. Among other things, it was intended to provide for longer automatic extensions and, in certain circumstances, compensation for tenants. The two provisions must therefore not be conflated: rejection of the second decree does not отмене the exceptional extension included in the approved package.
The government had approved the two texts again in early October, after the plenary had rejected earlier versions. The approved housing decree had already been in force since 8 October. The committee’s decision came a day after a general strike, at which access to housing was also a central issue.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).