Hundreds of thousands of people have marched in 40 Spanish cities to protest against soaring rents and a lack of affordable homes – amid a housing crisis fuelled in part by a tourism boom.
Thousands took to the streets in cities including Madrid and Barcelona in demonstrations organised by housing activists and backed by Spain‘s main labour unions.
In Madrid, more than 150,000 protesters marched through the capital’s centre, according to the local tenants’ union.
People rattled keys as they walked through the city’s streets, while some held up signs against short-term rentals and chanted: “Get Airbnb out of our neighbourhoods.”
‘Lower the prices’ reads a large banner carried through Madrid. (AP Photo/Paul White)
People with a flag depicting a rich banker. Pic: AP
Average Spanish rents have doubled and house prices have swelled by over 44% in the past decade, according to data from property website Idealista.
The supply of residential rentals has halved since the 2020 pandemic, while short-term rentals have increased very quickly in major cities and coastal destinations.
‘Rents impossible, rights for housing. Rights for a roof,’ a banner says. Pic: AP
A 65-year-old resident who lives in Madrid’s popular Lavapies neighbourhood said building owners have told nearly 100 families in her block that their rental contracts are not being renewed.
“They’re kicking all of us out to make tourist flats,” Margarita Aizpuru said.
The housing crisis has created a generation of disgruntled young people who say they have to stay with their parents or pay out large sums for shared apartments, with little chance of saving enough to eventually buy their own property.
Even those with traditionally well-paying jobs are struggling.
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Pic: Reuters
Mari Sanchez, a 26-year-old lawyer in Madrid, said: “I’m living with four people and still, I allocate 30 or 40% of my salary to rent. That doesn’t allow me to save. That doesn’t allow me to do anything.
“It doesn’t even allow me to buy a car. That’s my current situation, and the one many young people are living through.”
In Mallorca, people marched in the city of Palma with placards featuring messages including “Mallorca is not for sale” and “no houses without people, nor people without houses”.
Protesters in Palma de Mallorca. Pic: Reuters
‘Neither houses without people, nor people without houses’. Pic: Reuters
A record 94 million tourists visited Spain in 2024 – making it the second most-visited country in the world, behind France.
Some local governments have launched their own crackdowns on short-term rentals.
Last year, Barcelona’s city government pledged to phase out its 10,000 permits for short-term lets, many of which are advertised on platforms such as Airbnb, by 2028.
