BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — On Saturday, a significant number of Spaniards took to the streets in downtown Barcelona to voice their frustrations over the soaring costs of apartment rentals in this popular tourist hotspot. Estimates vary, with organizers claiming over 100,000 participants, while local police suggest around 22,000 people joined the protest.
Demonstrators blocked traffic on major city avenues, wielding homemade signs with messages in Spanish that shouted, “Fewer apartments for investing and more homes for living” and “The people without homes uphold their rights.” The outpouring of people recalled the large separatist demonstrations from the height of the Catalan independence movement a few years ago, illustrating how social issues centered on housing have now taken precedence over political battles.
Samuel Saintot, one of the protesters, expressed his exasperation and anxiety upon learning that he must leave the apartment he’s rented for 15 years in central Barcelona. He suspects the owners plan renovations to hike up the rent, saying, “Even looking in a 20- or 30-kilometer radius outside town, I can’t even find anything within the price range I can afford.” He considers himself fortunate with a decent salary yet feels he may still have to leave the city due to rising costs.
This housing crisis is not isolated to Barcelona. Over the past decade, average rents in Spain have doubled, with the cost per square meter jumping from 7.2 euros ($7.5) in 2014 to 13 euros this year, according to the online real estate platform Idealista. Major cities like Barcelona and Madrid have seen even steeper increases while incomes have stagnated, particularly for younger generations struggling with persistently high unemployment rates.
Data from the Bank of Spain reveals that nearly 40% of Spanish renters allocate an average of 40% of their income towards rent and utilities—significantly higher than the European Union average of 27%. Ignasi Martí, a professor at Esade business school and head of its Dignified Housing Observatory, remarked, “We are talking about a housing emergency, indicating that people face substantial hurdles in accessing and maintaining their homes.”
Adding to the crisis, short-term rentals, often catering to tourists, have significantly inflated housing costs. Migrants are particularly affected due to their limited savings, which complicates their ability to find affordable housing. In Spain, fewer than 2% of all available homes are public housing units rented out, compared to the OECD average of 7%. This places Spain far behind countries like France (14%), Britain (16%), and the Netherlands (34%).
Carme Arcarazo, a spokesperson for Barcelona’s Tenants Union that organized the rally, advocated for renters to consider a “rent strike” as a form of mass protest. “I think we tenants have understood that this depends on us. We can’t keep waiting for the authorities to respond. We must take control of the situation,” she stated, emphasizing the need for action if landlords refuse to lower rents.
The Barcelona protest closely followed a similar demonstration in Madrid, where tens of thousands also rallied against high rental costs. This growing discontent surrounding housing is putting pressure on Spain’s governing Socialist party, currently heading a coalition at the national level and managing Catalonia’s regional government as well as Barcelona’s city council.
In response to the housing crisis, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez held a “housing summit” last month involving government officials and real estate developers. However, the Barcelona’s Tenants Union boycotted the event, likening it to inviting tobacco companies to a cancer summit. Presently, the government’s leading initiative is a rent cap mechanism based on an index established by the housing ministry, aimed at areas experiencing high rental prices. Downtown Barcelona was the first location to implement these caps.
Many locals attribute the high rental prices to the millions of tourists flocking to Barcelona and other parts of Spain each year. In a bid to alleviate the situation, Barcelona’s city government has committed to eliminating the city’s 10,000 so-called “tourist apartments”—properties that are permitted for short-term rentals—by the year 2028.
