Spain's Maricarmen Decree: 10 key points

The Spanish government has split its housing package into two decrees to be voted on separately: one covers rental extensions, evictions and temporary and room rentals; the other, the automatic renewal of permanent contracts. Validation depends on an extraordinary session of Congress.

The housing package put forward by the **government** does not come in a single text. The measures have been divided into **two housing decrees** that will be voted on separately in the **Congress of Deputies**. The first addresses rental extensions, evictions and the regulation of temporary and room rentals. The second deals with the automatic renewal of permanent contracts.

The split has practical consequences. Each text stands or falls on its own: one majority can save one and bring down the other. The decision is pending an extraordinary session of Congress, where it will be decided whether both are validated.

## Extensions of up to two years and payment condition

Some rentals may be extended by up to **two years**. The measure affects contracts in force that end before **31 December 2028**. It is not automatic for everyone: the tenant must be up to date with the rent and must have been so for the **eight months** prior to the extension.

Permanent contracts are treated separately. The second decree includes the automatic renewal of rentals so they can continue after the end date. The contract does not automatically terminate just because the date marked on paper arrives.

## Evictions, seasonal rentals and rooms

Protection against evictions is extended. The extraordinary measures that allow certain evictions of vulnerable households without housing alternatives to be suspended are extended until **2030**. The final text is still needed to know which cases, requirements and exceptions are included.

Seasonal rentals will have their own regulation as a different modality from regular rentals, with limits and conditions yet to be detailed. Room rentals are also included in the decree: contracts to rent a single room are among the changes incorporated during negotiations, although their conditions remain unspecified.

## Investment funds and the fine print

The purchase of housing by investment funds for speculative purposes, called **vulture funds** during negotiations, will be limited until **2028**. The specifications and limits that will define who they apply to are not yet known. What is clear is that there will be no **expropriation** of housing from those funds, however much it was demanded.

We must wait for the final text. These measures are announced and pending validation: nothing is in force.