A clear majority of Spaniards support limits on housing prices, even if landlords earn less. The backing reaches PP and Vox voters, as well as landlords themselves.
Between 25 and 28 September, 40dB. surveyed 2,000 people online about Spain's housing crisis. The results showed broad support for state action. A total of 67.5% backed policies that limit housing prices even if landlords lose profitability.
That support crossed party lines. Majorities backed the idea among PSOE, Sumar, Podemos, PP and Vox voters.
The divide is not simply left against right. Support reached 56.5% among PP voters and 55.2% among Vox voters. It rose to 82.6% among PSOE voters, 95.8% among Sumar voters and 85.4% among Podemos voters. Landlords were also in favour, with 56.5% supporting policies that limit prices.
Spanish house prices rose 12.2% year on year in the second quarter of 2026, according to INE data cited by the BBC. Rents had increased by 8.5% in 2025, according to Idealista estimates.
Only 21.7% said the market alone should set prices without any state role. Access to housing is now the second biggest concern identified by people in Spain. The result gives intervention more political weight.
The fieldwork began before the Government approved its decrees. It took place during days focused on rent limits and protection for vulnerable people facing eviction.
Several individual measures received even stronger backing. Expanding social housing was supported by 82.4% of respondents. Another 79.7% supported tax advantages for small landlords who offer affordable rents. Rent regulation and annual caps also won majority support. So did postponements of evictions affecting vulnerable people.
The Government’s urgent housing package includes additional rent restrictions through the end of 2027. If a rent is already above the applicable reference level, an increase is prohibited; otherwise, an increase without a new agreement between the parties is limited to 2%.
The wider supply problem continues to draw attention in an earlier housing report. The survey does not frame the issue as a dispute between tenants and the rest of society. Its figures show demand for intervention among owners and voters who support parties less associated with rent controls.
The Maricarmen case made the debate more personal. More than 93% of respondents had heard about the eviction. A further 61.8% said an older person should not be removed without an alternative home. Left-wing voters also held that view by a majority.
Policy has now moved beyond opinion polling. On 29 September 2026, the Government approved an urgent decree-law package. It includes tax incentives for landlords who offer affordable rents, cheaper financing for first-time buyers, stronger protection against evictions and measures to expand the public housing stock.
The Moncloa government press release said the package also provides for the Casa 47 mechanism. It sets VAT at 4% for social and publicly financed housing. The decree-law still requires approval by Congress.
Respondents placed the main responsibility for solving the housing problem with the state. The central Government was identified as the most responsible institution by 43.3%. The PSOE was seen as the party best equipped to address the issue by 18.5%.
Public pressure helped drive the package. The pressure followed the eviction of an 87-year-old pensioner in Madrid and later protests, according to BBC and DW reporting. The measures also propose tougher rules for short-term and tourist rentals. A reported moratorium would protect vulnerable households from eviction until 2030.
Spain already has a legal framework for stressed housing-market areas. High housing costs or rapidly rising prices can justify extra rent controls in those areas. The new package builds on that framework.
The polling does not show whether intervention will solve the housing crisis. It also cannot measure how well each policy will work. The political message is clearer. Support for limits on private housing profits is wider than the traditional left-right divide. PP and Vox voters back the idea. So do many landlords.
