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Spain's Parliament Rejects Two Government Housing Decrees Amid Rental Crisis
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In brief
Spain's Congress of Deputies voted down two government decrees meant to curb evictions and limit rent increases on October 2, 2026, after the Catalan party Junts joined the right-wing opposition against them. The defeat leaves Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's minority government without replacement housing rules as nationwide protests over rents and evictions continue.
Spain's lower house of parliament, the Congress of Deputies, rejected two emergency housing decrees on Friday, October 2, 2026, dealing a major legislative defeat to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's left-wing minority government. The vote came as protesters gathered outside parliament over the country's rental affordability crisis, according to Al Jazeera and Euronews.
What the two decrees contained
The first decree was designed to halt evictions of vulnerable households, restrict real-estate speculation, tighten rules on short-term tourist leases, and offer tax incentives to expand rental housing supply, Al Jazeera reported. According to the German daily taz, the same text would also have extended eviction protections through 2030 and allowed two-year lease extensions.
The second decree would have made residential leases renew automatically and indefinitely. Al Jazeera reported that landlords could only end a tenancy early by paying the tenant compensation equal to twelve months' rent; taz described the exception as applying mainly when owners needed the property for themselves or a relative.
| Decree | Main measures | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| First decree | Eviction protections for vulnerable tenants, curbs on speculation and short-term lets, tax incentives for rental supply | Rejected, 172 in favor–178 against (Euronews) |
| Second decree | Automatic, indefinite lease renewal with limited landlord exit options | Also rejected |
How the vote collapsed
The decrees failed after the Catalan separatist party Junts per Catalunya, a sometime parliamentary ally of Sánchez's Socialists, voted against both texts alongside the conservative Popular Party (PP) and the far-right Vox, according to Euronews and Al Jazeera. On the first decree, the final tally was 172 votes in favor—from the Socialist Party (PSOE), Sumar, Podemos, the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and the Canarian Coalition—against 178 opposed, Euronews reported.
Junts spokeswoman Míriam Nogueras argued the decrees would still let speculators buy property and evict tenants, Al Jazeera reported; the outlet also said the measures risked pushing landlords to pull properties off the rental market altogether, driving prices up further. Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez had urged Junts to reconsider, framing the vote, in Euronews's account, as a choice between preventing another eviction or allowing the next one to happen.
History will judge you sooner than you think and more harshly than you can imagine.
The pressure behind the vote
The decrees came after weeks of protests over Spain's rental market. Average rents have nearly doubled nationally over the past decade, according to Al Jazeera and Euronews; Euronews cited a rise in average rent per square meter from €8.20 in 2016 to €15.10 in 2026. Taz reported that roughly 25,000 evictions are carried out in Spain each year and that more than 1,200 protest tents had been set up on a central Madrid square.
Al Jazeera reported that demonstrations intensified after the televised eviction in September of an 87-year-old retiree identified as Maricarmen; taz described her as a mobility-impaired retiree who had lived in her home for 70 years. Sánchez urged lawmakers to consider ordinary citizens, including the millions of young adults unable to move out of their parents' homes, Al Jazeera reported.
What happens next
With both decrees defeated, the measures they contained do not take effect and the government must decide whether to draft new legislation or negotiate fresh terms with potential allies such as Junts, PNV or the Canarian Coalition. Euronews reported that government figures had floated the possibility of calling early elections if the decrees failed, though no formal decision had been announced.
Questions
- What did the Spanish parliament reject on October 2, 2026?
- Spain's Congress of Deputies rejected two government decrees: one extending eviction protections and curbing speculation and short-term rentals, the other making residential leases renew automatically and indefinitely, according to Al Jazeera and taz.
- Why did the decrees fail despite the government's majority ambitions?
- The Catalan party Junts, an occasional ally of Pedro Sánchez's coalition, voted against both decrees together with the Popular Party and Vox, producing a 172–178 defeat on the first text, Euronews reported.
- Why did Junts oppose the housing decrees?
- Junts spokeswoman Míriam Nogueras said the measures would still allow speculators to buy property and evict tenants, and warned they could push landlords to withdraw properties from the rental market and drive prices higher, according to Al Jazeera.
- What triggered the recent housing protests in Spain?
- Al Jazeera reported that protests intensified after the televised eviction of an 87-year-old retiree, Maricarmen, in September, amid years of sharply rising rents described by taz and Euronews.
- Could this lead to early elections in Spain?
- Euronews reported that government figures had raised the possibility of a snap election if the decrees failed, though no formal decision had been announced as of the vote.
How the world is telling it
- GermanGerman outlet taz described the defeat as potentially having far-reaching consequences for Sánchez's government, noting unconfirmed rumors that elections could be moved up to November. It stressed that Junts's decision came as a surprise after a week of negotiations with the government, and highlighted the scale of street protests, including over 1,200 tents on a central Madrid square, as evidence of how acute the housing issue has become.
Sources
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