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Date Published: 12/12/2024

Tenants in Spain go on strike and refuse to pay landlords in protest over sky-high rents

A total of 29 families in Catalonia have stopped paying their rent in a revolt that is expected to spread to the rest of Spain

Catalonia in the north of Spain has just become ground zero of a bold new protest against exorbitant rents and exploitative housing practices. As monthly lease costs spiral out of control, soaring past the amount most households can afford, it was only a matter of time before tenants in Spain fought back.

This week, 29 families in Salou and El Vendrell have launched a rent strike. Organised by the Sindicat de Llogateres (Tenants’ Union), the movement is a stand against “abusive clauses, excessive pricing and years of real estate harassment,” according to union representatives.

On December 9, families in social housing developments managed by La Caixa (Inmocaixa) launched their strike on the two last monthly rent payments for the year in what the Sindicat de Llogateres calls “the revolt of the keys”.

Among these strikers are 23 families, representing 62% of one Salou development, and six families from an El Vendrell property. Together, their refusal to pay amounts to around 20,000 euros, which includes demands for the repayment of an illegally charged property tax (IBI).

A Supreme Court ruling has declared this tax illegal for tenants of protected housing, yet La Caixa is accused of collecting more than 10 million euros in IBI charges in Catalonia alone.

Tenants of two Sentmenat housing developments, comprising 147 flats, have committed to joining the strike in March.

The residents are demanding “the extension of the rental contracts that have already expired and the withdrawal of the legal proceedings opened to evict families”.

They are also asking for the elimination of “abusive clauses and overpricing to return to the original prices.”

And it’s likely that this protest will spread far and wide, as no corner of Spain has been left untouched by skyrocketing rents. Already, the Sindicat de Llogateres is organising a door-to-door campaign across 500 households in Barcelona. These efforts aim to unite tenants experiencing similar housing abuses.

As the rent strike gathers steam, it underscores a deepening housing crisis in Spain. Activists, tenants and policymakers alike face mounting pressure to address soaring rents, but so far the government’s measures have failed to even skim the surface of the issues.

With the revolt of the keys underway, it remains to be seen if Spain’s leaders are willing to take more drastic action to curb the growing discontent.

In other news: Murcia among the three most expensive OECD regions for housing

Image: Sindicat de Llogateres

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