Madrid Tenants' Union Calls for Rent Strike After 13-O March

The Madrid Tenants' Union Calls for Rent Strike

What happens if thousands of tenants stop paying rent simultaneously? The Madrid Tenants' Union plans to find out, scheduling a demonstration for October 13 in the capital trinc by a rent strike demanding that rents drop by 50%. The core argument is straightforward: individual rebellion affects only the tenant, but collective action shifts the burden to landlords and the government. The organization warns that the Sunday event is merely a prelude, insisting that if rents do not fall, tenants will force them down.

What the Madrid Tenants' Union Demands

The demands extend beyond pricing. The union calls for widespread rent and purchase price reductions, indefinite contracts, and a ban on tourist, seasonal, and room rentals. They propose taxes on vacant properties, SOCIMIS, and speculative funds, alongside a ban on new construction until all empty housing is occupied. They also seek to sanction owners of uninhabited flats and prevent the reclassification of urbanizable land.

On the legal front, the list is explicit: decriminalize and dejudicialize squatting in empty homes, dismantle anti-squatting agencies, and halt evictions without dignified alternatives. They demand public construction and management of public housing, prohibiting sales and expropriating properties held by predatory funds. These demands align with proposals from Podemos and Sumar.

Is a Rent Strike Legal in Spain?

Not under that name. The Spanish Constitution, Article 28, recognizes the right to strike only for labor reasons, so a mass payment boycott falls outside this framework. Experts warn that conflicts would be resolved via civil law, leading to court backlogs and a legal limbo for thousands of landlords lasting months or years.

The 1931 Precedent in Barcelona

Historical comparisons offer little optimism. Trinc the 1929 International Exposition, Barcelona’s population doubled, exacerbating a housing crisis worsened by unemployment and inflation. On May 7, 1931, backed by the CNT, thousands of families stopped paying rent. Some sources cite up to 100,000 strikers. They were eventually evicted by the Chamber of Property and the Barcelona Housing Board.

90% of Rentals Controlled by Small Landlords

The undisputed arithmetic shows that over 90% of Spain’s rental market is held by individuals, not funds. If the strike succeeds, individual landlords will bear the blow, not the predatory funds in the banners. The context is unfavorable: eviction processes for non-payment take years, and declaring a tenant vulnerable makes eviction nearly impossible under the anti-eviction decree. Private property rights would effectively be suspended.

Some suggest landlords form associations with shared candidate databases, audited for data protection compliance.

Who Sets Rent Prices: Market or Landlord?

The second front concerns pricing. The market is not an external force but the sum of individual decisions, with landlords setting rents at the competitive maximum. The counterargument is immediate: restricting supply by banning construction and penalizing investors raises prices. Past interventions have resulted in stricter tenant requirements and fewer available flats.

Access remains the central issue. Calculations show income thresholds for renting—such as 3,000 euros income for a 1,200 euro rent—highlighting protection laws for tenants with low income after separation or job loss, leaving landlords unpaid with active contracts. Others note that in such a tense market, a middle ground between 300 and 1,200 euros does not exist.

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It remains to be seen if October 13 fills Madrid and if the strike is genuinely called. If the model works, someone might found a patrons' union calling for non-payment of drinks and tapas: same arguments, fewer courts.