Spain, housing crisis. On the streets of Brze, the government can introduce an unprecedented tax

In Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Palm and 37 other Spanish cities, residents went out into the streets, demanding actions in the face of a housing crisis. – I am here because we residents must be heard. We want to fight what building owners do with apartments and the whole market – says Diego Serrano, a teacher from Madrid.

The protesters of the Spaniards were armed with banners with the slogans of “Rentors will return what they stole” and “let's end the housing business”.

Spain undergoes a very deep housing crisis. In the last ten years, salaries have increased by 20 percent, and the average rent – by as much as 100 percent. The effects are that 40 percent of the renting families allocate almost half of the revenues. The problem is particularly visible in tourist regions, such as balearies.

– An ordinary apartment now costs a thousand euros per room or more, and not everyone earns so much. Sometimes the cost of the apartment is one hundred percent salary – indicates Pere Joan Feminine from the organization “Less tourism, more life”.

The Centrolevilic Government of Pedro Sanchez recognized the housing crisis as its greatest challenge. Last week, regulations enabled blocking the creation of subsequent apartments for rent. The decision belongs to the owners of the building.

Mercedes – the owner of the apartment in Madrid – and her neighbors decided that they did not want further apartments for tourists in their community. – We have one apartment for tourists in this building and there will be no more. We have already voted and the three -fifth votes required were against the next such apartments. But the one that already works is illegal and we do not see a way to close them – admits the woman.

This way was created by the Spanish government. From July 2025, all apartments for short -term rental must be officially registered so that they can announce on large websites. Only in the first three months of this year over 18,000 applications for registration were submitted.

– We want a dignified life. We want evictions to end, for short -term rental and that the degradation of our communities end through excessively ambitious people – says Paula Salas, a cook of Madrid.

Read also: The Spaniards protest against high housing prices. “We have to do something about it”

The Pedro Sanchez government announced one more way to fight the housing crisis in January. According to representatives of non -governmental organizations, Spain does not need new buildings, but the release of those that are empty for most of the year. Therefore, soon a 100 % property tax bought by foreigners may appear.

– This system is more favorable for tourists than for people who live here. In addition, tourists are the bane of permanent residents – comments Fred Olha, the Czech Republic living in Barcelona.

Prime Minister Sanchez also announces the construction of a new social construction, which is never to hit private hands. The Spaniards build much less than years ago. 600,000 houses were built at the peak of the boom on the real estate market in 2007 in Spain. In 2024, six times less were created.