On Tuesday 29 September, the Spanish Government approved two royal decrees after PSOE and Sumar reached an agreement. Their passage through Congress remains uncertain. Vicente Vallés has questioned why the package arrived so late in the legislature.
One decree has already appeared in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE), but Congress still needs to validate it. Reuters and France 24 reported that the Government wanted a vote as early as Friday, 2 October.
The Government wants the vote this Friday. The parliamentary process was already under scrutiny on 30 September, when deputies questioned Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez about the decrees and her management of the housing portfolio.
Pedro Sánchez has asked his parliamentary partners to support the next step. He has presented the package as a way to increase the supply of affordable homes and help people find stable housing. Reuters quoted Sánchez as saying that protecting vulnerable tenants was "not a question of ideology, but of humanity."
The measures would ban evictions until 2030, while also limiting rent increases. They would restrict speculative purchases by so-called vulture funds. New rules would cover seasonal rentals and room rentals. DW reported that the package also tightens rules for short-term rentals and extends existing rental contracts by two years. The Government says the measures should increase the supply of affordable homes.
Political pressure stems from the need to secure enough votes. Sánchez has urged his allies to back the package, while Moncloa hopes to rebuild the majority that supported his investiture.
Vallés described the process as a rushed effort to secure congressional approval. He did not portray it as the outcome of a settled housing policy.
The immediate trigger was the eviction of Maricarmen in Madrid. The 87-year-old had lived in the apartment for more than 70 years. NBC News and El País reported that the courts had blocked earlier attempts to evict her. Her case renewed attention to the challenges facing people looking for a home and to Spain's housing shortage. Reuters and France 24 reported that her eviction became a symbol of the crisis and helped fuel mass protests. Euronews also reported that, after a change of ownership in Madrid, her monthly rent was proposed to rise from about €500 to €2,650, then later to €1,650. The figures showed the pressure created by the shortage of affordable housing.
The dispute was covered in an earlier report about the agreement that could allow her to return home. On 28 September, El País and Reuters reported that an agreement with the management company or landlord allowed her to return under a new contract.
Vallés has focused on the timing as well as the package's contents. On 'Antena 3 Noticias 2', he said the decrees still needed to pass through Congress. He argued that the Government was rushing after eight years of promises without results.
His final assessment was restrained but clear: the vote will show whether Moncloa can rebuild its investiture majority.
The Government has approved the decrees but has not secured final parliamentary backing. The proposed protections still depend on congressional validation, a decision affecting everyone seeking or providing housing, including tenants and landlords.
The package spans many measures, but its political test is immediate. Vallés has centered the story on the deadline and the Government's previous record. Housing rules announced at the end of the legislature do not amount to a lasting solution.
