Spain’s public squares become rallying points against rising rents

Translated by Giulia Girardi

On 23 September 2026, Maricarmen forcibly left the apartment where she had lived for 70 years, within the well-known Retiro district of the city. The reason for the eviction was her inability to pay the rent, which had become too expensive for her, having quintupled since 2018 from €500 to €2,650 a month. The woman’s 50% disability was not taken into consideration.

Images of Maricarmen being carried out of the house on a stretcher before being rushed to hospital sparked public outrage and fuelled protests across Madrid. Sadly, she died there on 7 October 2026.

The first demonstration in Madrid ended on Saturday, 27 September, including between 25.000 and 30.000 people — like families, young people and the elderly. At Puerta del Sol, several protesters set up a tent camp to express their opposition. The encampment, which remained peaceful and calm, expanded throughout the night, reaching 150 tents by Sunday morning.

On Tuesday, 29 September, in response to the demonstrations, the Sánchez government introduced two decrees aimed at tackling the housing crisis. The first has authorised the automatic two-year renewal of rental contracts due to expire in 2028, extended eviction protection for the most vulnerable until the end of 2030, tightened regulations on short-term rentals, and banned investment funds from purchasing properties until the end of 2028. The second has introduced a mechanism leading to the automatic extension of rental contracts, with rent increases regulated by law rather than left to free negotiation between landlords and tenants.

“The two decrees, which came into force immediately, were rejected by the Spanish Congress of Deputies on Friday, October 2, with 178 votes against, including those cast by the right-wing parties — the People’s Party and Vox — and the seven decisive votes of Junts per Catalunya, a Catalan nationalist party, compared with 172 votes in favour. The result sparked renewed protests in Spanish cities over the economic and housing crises.

This vote had significant repercussions for Sánchez’s government, which — lacking a stable parliamentary majority — often has to rely on the support of regional parties to secure the approval of its decrees. Following this rejection, on Monday, October 5, Pedro Sánchez announced the government crisis, the dissolution of parliament, and new elections scheduled for November 29, 2026.

Protests over the housing crisis are not confined to Madrid but are spreading across Spain, where Maricarmen’s case has helped mobilise citizens throughout the country. Since 2016, housing rents have risen by 82.7% in Madrid and by 94.4% in Barcelona — rising by 51% and 30%, respectively, in the past three years alone — while wages have grown by just 45%. According to Idealista, the average rent in Madrid is of €23.30 per square metre, meaning that renting a 100-square-metre apartment costs an average of €2,330 per month. According to Euronews, there are eight major regions in which the monthly rent for an 80-square-metre apartment exceeds €1,000.

Despite the rejection of the decrees, following the announcement of the government crisis, Sánchez reintroduced 21 measures to tackle the housing emergency on Wednesday, October 7. The new measures entered into force temporarily, and need to be ratified by the Permanent Deputation of Congress — the body responsible for carrying out parliamentary functions. The 21 measures — largely similar to those included in the rejected decrees of the previous week —, also provide for interest-free loans of €10 billion, with a maximum of €50,000 per loan, to help people purchase their first house.

What about Italy? 

The rising prices, especially in major urban centres, is not confined to Spain. Housing rents are steadily increasing in Italy, too.

According to data collected by the Real Estate Market Observatory of the Italian Revenue Agency, rents rose by 37% in Rome and 81% in Milan between 2018 and 2025. The problem is particularly evident when it comes to student accommodation within university cities: although prices vary considerably, renting a single room in the most sought-after areas of the major Italian cities — such as Rome and Milan — can reach as much as €1,000.

The Italian situation is very similar to the Spanish one, particularly in relation to the citizens’ wages. However, it has never led to protests on such a large scale. There have been instances of local mobilisation — like the student tent protests outside Polytechnic University of Milan in 2023 — but these have never sparked large-scale protests. Why, then, have soaring rents and the rising cost of living — a considerable burden on Italians’ daily lives — never sparked nationwide protests?

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