Housing has become the biggest problem facing Spaniards, information from the monthly CIS survey. Prices are still rising at double-digit rates as demand outpaces the supply of homes. Official data from Spain's Ministry of Housing show the average price of free-market housing reached €2,355 per square metre in the second quarter of 2026, 12.5% higher than a year earlier.
The shortage leaves fewer ways to slow the rise and puts responsibility at the centre of the political debate. The survey does not point to one actor: it names the Government and regional and municipal administrations, as well as investment funds, large property owners and the European Union.
The Bank of Spain estimates that Spain had accumulated a housing shortage of roughly 750,000 to 755,000 homes from 2021. It expects the gap to grow by about another 300,000 homes by 2028.
The Government is one of the basic targets of criticism. Some people blame the housing law promoted by the executive; others say national decisions have not done enough to close the gap between demand and supply. The Bank of Spain's assessment supports the view that this is a structural problem, not a short-term fluctuation.
Responsibility also falls on the autonomous communities and municipalities. The survey's options reflect that housing conditions are not shaped by one level of government alone. The increase suggests pressure now extends beyond Madrid and Barcelona, reaching the basic coastal markets as well. A review based on official statistics, reported by La Vanguardia, found that prices rose in all 306 Spanish municipalities with more than 25,000 inhabitants. Spain's mechanism for designating stressed rental areas is linked, among other criteria, to housing and utility costs exceeding 30% of household income or to price growth above inflation over several years.
Investment funds and large holders are another focus of criticism. Those who point to them link the housing problem to the role of major owners and financial investors in a fast-rising market. That criticism does not make them solely responsible; it places them among the actors being blamed.
Brussels is another possible part of the explanation. The survey asks whether the European Union should bear responsibility for failing to introduce measures that could ease pressure on housing, taking the dispute beyond Spain's national and local institutions. The affordability crisis is also part of a wider European trend: rents and purchase prices are rising while supply remains limited.
The broadest answer is that everyone may bear part of the blame. Prices are rising and supply is limited. Demand is growing, while several levels of government face scrutiny.
The market is also failing to turn public plans into new homes. Reports citing Bank of Spain data say 129 tenders for social housing were left without successful bidders in 2026, while 128 other planned projects were not awarded. Authorities can try to expand public construction, but projects do not automatically become finished homes. That adds another obstacle to addressing the shortage.
The poll also includes an option for people who are unsure. It tests whether people see the housing crisis as the result of one decision or a mix of failures and pressures, while also asking which institution should be criticised.
The immediate figures are stark. The CIS identifies housing as the country's biggest problem. Prices have been rising at double-digit rates, especially after the pandemic, while supply has failed to keep pace with demand. The Ministry of Housing's second-quarter figures set a record of €2,355 per square metre for free-market homes. The Bank of Spain has also warned that real prices are accelerating at levels comparable with 2005, a period linked to pre-crisis overheating.
Political pressure has grown alongside the market indicators. AFP reported that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the housing crisis a "tragedy" after an elderly woman was evicted. The issue has moved beyond economics into a highly sensitive social and political debate.
Assigning all the blame to one institution would not fit the evidence presented. The Government and autonomous communities are under scrutiny, as are municipalities and large owners. Investment funds and the European Union also face criticism. The survey's broadest answer is so the collective one: no single culprit explains the situation on its own.
