Housing Rights Activists Occupy Madrid's Puerta del Sol

• Thousands of protesters mobilized by the Madrid Tenants' Union marched in central Madrid to demand housing reform.
• Demonstrators established an encampment in Puerta del Sol, with around 50 tents erected to protest the current housing crisis and demand government action.
• The movement is calling for the approval of the "Maricarmen Decree," a legislative proposal designed to make rental contract renewals automatic and indefinite.

Demands and Motivations

• The protests were triggered by the recent eviction of a tenant named Maricarmen.
• Activists are targeting "vulture funds" and rent-seeking behavior, advocating for the expropriation of large property holders.
• Protesters criticize the national government, demanding to know the status of the "progressive government's" promised housing measures.

Contextual Data

• In the first quarter of 2026, Spain recorded over 4,000 evictions, averaging 44 per day.
• Approximately 65% of these evictions resulted from tenants being unable to afford rising rental costs.
• Since the pandemic, rental prices have increased by an average of 30% nationally, while wages have only grown by about 15%.
• Regional price hikes are more severe: 55% in Madrid, 62% in Barcelona, and 74% in València.