Madrid tenants demand urgent action as housing crisis deepens
Thousands gather in Spain’s capital to criticise the pace of reforms, citing a 700,000-home shortage and soaring costs.
Thousands of demonstrators marched through Madrid on Sunday to protest soaring rents, high property prices, and a critical shortage of available homes. The demonstration, organised by the Madrid Tenants' Union and supported by major trade unions including CCOO, served as a direct critique of the Spanish government’s approach to the housing emergency. While Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s administration has introduced recent measures, union leaders argue these initiatives are insufficient to counter the rapid escalation of the crisis.
The scale of the protest drew conflicting figures, with organisers claiming participation from more than 100,000 people, while authorities estimated the crowd at approximately 23,000. Unai Sordo, secretary general of the CCOO union, characterised the government’s response as advancing at a "snail's pace" despite the worsening conditions. Sordo noted that while some measures are moving in the right direction, they are not keeping up with the speed at which the housing crisis is intensifying.
Structural imbalances in the market have exacerbated the shortage. Spain’s central bank reports that between 2021 and 2025, the growth in new households outpaced the construction of new homes, resulting in a deficit of approximately 700,000 dwellings. This supply gap has forced many residents into overcrowded living situations. Fernando de los Santos, a spokesman for the tenants' union, told the AFP news agency that increasing numbers of people are being compelled to share rooms or live with other families due to the lack of adequate housing.
Cost pressures have intensified significantly, with Eurostat data indicating that housing costs rose by nearly 13 per cent year-on-year in 2025. In response to the financial burden, the government recently approved a 7 billion euro ($8.23 billion) plan aimed at constructing public housing over the next four years. This package also includes assistance for young renters and homebuyers. However, a separate legislative decree intended to freeze rent increases failed to pass the legislature, leaving many protesters dissatisfied with the current policy framework.
A central demand of the march is a stricter crackdown on tourist rentals, which locals argue are driving up rents and property prices in city centres. Holiday homes have surged in Madrid, outpacing hotel growth during Spain’s tourism boom, creating significant competition for long-term residents. Authorities are currently tightening regulations on short-term lets to protect housing stock for locals, but demonstrators insist that faster implementation of government measures and tougher enforcement are required to alleviate the pressure on households.
