Juan del Val says housing policy must leave the party battlefield. Two government decrees address evictions, public housing and rental rules, but Congress will decide whether they survive.
On 29 September 2026, Spain's government approved two housing decrees as pressure grew over the threatened eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen in Madrid. Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez called access to housing the country's main problem. Juan del Val says the response needs more than party slogans.
The writer made that case during the discussion on El Hormiguero. He said voters linked to PP, VOX, PSOE and Podemos face the same problem because many cannot afford to enter the housing market. His answer is a cross-party agreement.
The pressure is real.
Del Val also questioned why the government had divided its response into two real decreto-ley measures. He criticised the presentation of action being taken against the clock because of Maricarmen's case.
The official Moncloa summary says the package would reduce VAT to 4% for public and social housing and use Casa 47 mechanisms to expand the public housing stock.
Neither decree is final policy. Congress must vote within days. Reuters and the BBC describe the parliamentary arithmetic as uncertain because the government lacks a stable majority and the Congress is fragmented.
One decree would extend the ban on evicting households in extreme vulnerability until 2030. The protection would apply when those households have no alternative accommodation. The same measure would stop large investment funds known as vulture funds from buying homes until 2028.
Its stated purpose is to protect households from losing their homes and to slow further price rises. The package also proposes tighter controls on seasonal rentals and room rentals. It would add safeguards for the public housing stock, lower VAT to 4% for public and social housing, and use Casa 47 mechanisms to expand that stock.
The vote is close.
The second decree, promoted by Sumar, deals more directly with tenants. It would introduce automatic, indefinite renewal of rental contracts. Landlords could recover a property only if they prove a genuine need for it. The proposal would remove the uncertainty that arises when a contract ends without a justified reason for eviction.
According to Anadolu Agency's account of the published measure, the decree contains 20 articles and takes effect after publication in the BOE. Some of its rental and protection provisions are scheduled to remain in force through periods extending from 2027 to 2030.
For Del Val, the proposals contain useful ideas and excessive measures. He accepts that rules for seasonal rentals and room rentals could help. He rejects indefinite renting and questions the dates chosen for the proposed extensions.
The argument reaches beyond the wording of the decrees. The Sindicato de Inquilinas and protesters camping in Sol say the package does not go far enough. They have continued their demands.
An earlier housing report examined the wider strain on access to homes. The threatened eviction of Maricarmen intensified the protests. Her case turned an individual dispute into a wider symbol of the housing crisis and increased pressure on Pedro Sánchez's coalition.
That changed the debate.
Del Val rejects the idea that one group explains the housing problem. He says the lack of security for owners and the presence of okupas do not provide a complete answer. Evictions alone do not explain the crisis either.
In his view, the problem affects the whole society. He does not believe it can be fixed in two days with measures assembled to keep different coalition partners on board.
The government has put forward two decrees with different aims. Congress now holds the decision, while tenant groups continue to demand more. The measures could protect vulnerable households and change some rental rules. They do not replace a settled housing strategy.
Housing pressure reaches voters across the political spectrum. Del Val is right to call for consensus, although his opposition to indefinite renting leaves the main policy dispute unresolved. Spain needs durable decisions, not a new short-term measure for every new case.
