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By Javier Mart\u00ednez and Jordi Garc\u00eda for Corriente Roja, Spanish State<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Exactly one week ago today, Maricarmen was evicted. This event sparked one of Spain’s most significant ongoing conflicts: the housing crisis. It was just one of more than 25,000 evictions that take place each year, highlighting the plight of the working class, who are forced to spend almost half of their wages or pension on housing. The eviction is also a clear reflection of the impoverishment and deterioration of the working class\u2019s living conditions over the past twenty years, for which the PSOE-SUMAR government bears some responsibility, and it serves as the material basis for the rise of the far right.
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In response to this level of spontaneous mobilization, the government and its parliamentary supporters have attempted to pass a decree which, according to the Tenants\u2019 Union, contains setbacks compared to the one approved in July. In response to this decree, the Tenants\u2019 Union is advocating for the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The case of the CPI is particularly egregious. Today, we are experiencing rampant inflation due to rising energy prices, which are a direct consequence of imperialist aggression \u2014 first by Russia against Ukraine and then by the U.S. and Israel against Iran. While rents are tied to the CPI and rise year on year, wages do not. This means that an ever-increasing proportion of wages is spent on housing costs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While we must fight for these measures, let us not forget that the current situation follows the expiration of the eviction moratorium approved during the pandemic. This follows the passing of the housing law that supposedly aimed to control prices, but which only served to hand public money to large property owners in the form of subsidies and tax breaks. In short, despite eight years of progressive government, which appears to be coming to an end, this situation follows a dramatic surge in prices. This is why we must consider the underlying causes and the measures that can truly solve the problem in the long term
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Firstly, large landlords with 10 or more properties increased their holdings from 138,000 to 626,000 between 2008 and 2025, representing around 15% of the total rental market (Ministry of Social Rights). Furthermore, private multi-property landlords and legal entities control 61% of the rental market (Ministry of Social Rights)<\/a>. Spokespersons for the bourgeoisie argue that, as large landlords represent only a small percentage, they are not the cause of the problem.
The fact is that these large landlords own properties purely to maximize their profits. This is why they have no problem leaving a property empty until they find someone willing to pay the rent or price they demand. To them, an apartment is not a place to live, but rather a commodity to be sold or rented out at the highest possible price. Consequently, an ever-increasing proportion of housing ceases to serve a social function and becomes ‘assets’ \u2014 mere instruments through which large property owners enrich themselves at the expense of working people. This drives up prices across the entire market. Those lucky enough to be able to buy a home do so at prices similar to those in 2007, despite earning lower wages. Conversely, many small property owners \u2014 who are workers themselves \u2014 have turned to renting as a way to supplement their wages and maintain their standard of living in the face of declining purchasing power. They set their rental prices at the average market rate. Added to this, 350,000 rental units \u2014 equivalent to 10% of the total \u2014 are used for tourist or seasonal rentals.
Just a few weeks ago, Congress rejected Sumar\u2019s bill that sought to prohibit companies and investment funds from purchasing housing, thanks to the PSOE\u2019s abstention. While this measure might have had a temporary positive effect, it would be insufficient to end the housing crisis. The underlying problem remains unchanged: housing continues to be treated as a commodity. The social function of housing remains unguaranteed, as do reductions in prices, contract renewals and, even less so, an end to evictions.
In Vienna, where only 25% of housing is public, they manage to keep prices among the lowest in Europe. In Spain, however, the public housing stock is barely 1.5% (compared to an average of over 8% across Europe). This is why expropriating apartments owned by large property owners is the most effective way to guarantee a public housing stock for social rental and keep prices low. This should start with Sareb \u2014 an entity created with public funds \u2014 and continue with the rest of the large property owners who did not acquire their homes through labor, but rather through prior capital or other forms of income; in other words, by exploiting the labor of others.
In any case, we have no confidence in the decree that the government is set to present. No solution will come from the representatives of the bourgeoisie. The best way to secure measures that truly meet the needs of the working class is for the working class itself to intervene in the conflict. That is why we support the mobilizations that began in Madrid, which we hope will spread to other cities in the country. We must strengthen these mobilizations and link them to other struggles. We must begin preparing for a general strike that demands higher wages and pensions, as well as lower rents and a reduction in the cost of living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n