Mark Stücklin
A coalition of radical tenant unions in Spain is planning a nationwide protest for 5th April, aiming to push their anti-landlord and anti-private property agenda under the banner of housing rights.
This is the first national-level demonstration planned by the Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos de Madrid (Madrid Tenant Union) and the Sindicat de Llogateres de Catalunya (Catalan Tenant Union).
A nationwide call for radical change
While these groups claim to fight for housing as a fundamental right, their policies and rhetoric reveal a more troubling goal: undermining private property rights and waging an ideological battle against landlords. Their efforts are contributing to the worsening of Spain’s housing crisis.
Radical activism disguised as tenant solidarity
Although the unions are presenting this mobilisation as a unifying step for tenants across the country, they represent only a small fraction of renters. The Madrid Tenant Union stated, “Volvemos a las calles, y esta vez lo hacemos todas juntas, en todas partes” (“We’re back on the streets, and this time we’re doing it all together, everywhere”). In reality their support base is limited to the hard-left, which is where their leadership comes from.
Coordinated effort to attack property owners
Far from being a genuine grassroots tenant movement, this is a coordinated effort by activist groups with a broader goal of eroding property rights and increasing state intervention in the rental market. Their main goal is to pressurise the Spanish government led by a coalition of socialists and communists to undermine private property rights through legislation.
Hostility towards housing as an investment
The unions’ core message is that housing should not be treated as a business. They argue that profits and private investment are the root cause of the housing crisis. Their mantra, “solo hay una receta” (“there is only one solution”) to make housing “un derecho” (“a right”), is to end the “negocio” (“business”) of housing. That means ending all private investment in rental housing, and giving effective ownership of rental properties to tenants.
Ignoring the need for private investment
However, this simplistic narrative ignores the reality that private investment is essential for maintaining and expanding housing supply. Demonising landlords and vilifying housing as a business only exacerbates the crisis by driving investors away and reducing the number of rental properties.
Rent controls and interventionist policies driving scarcity
The unions have a track record of supporting measures such as rent controls and eviction moratoriums—policies that have consistently backfired. Rather than improving affordability, these interventions have led to fewer available rental properties and deteriorating housing quality.
Escalating tensions with landlords
The threat of a “huelga de alquileres” (“rent strike”) is another example of their confrontational tactics, which undermine trust between tenants and landlords. The upcoming national protest is not a constructive call for reform but an escalation of their campaign against property owners.
Negative consequences for tenants
If these groups gain more influence, their policies will likely lead to:
- Fewer rental properties: Investors will withdraw from the market if property rights are eroded further, reducing supply and driving up rents.
- Lower housing quality: Rent caps and tenant-favourable regulations discourage landlords from maintaining properties.
- Black market growth: Excessive regulation often drives rental agreements into the informal economy, putting tenants at greater risk.
- Reduced affordable housing: Policies aimed at punishing landlords disproportionately affect the lower end of the market, making it harder for low-income tenants to find homes.
Radical activism deepening the housing crisis
The upcoming protest is not merely about housing rights—it is part of a broader ideological struggle against private property. While these unions claim to represent tenants, their policies are harming the very people they purport to help. Spain needs pragmatic housing solutions that encourage investment, increase supply, and protect both tenants and property owners. The hard-left activism driving this national mobilisation risks pushing the rental market deeper into crisis.
Unfortunately, under the current government in Madrid—and especially in regions like Catalonia, where left-wing coalitions hold power—these radical tenant groups wield outsized influence over housing policy, pushing increasingly anti-landlord and anti-investment regulations. As a result, foreign investors, both large and small, would be wise to steer well clear of the Spanish rental market, where the combination of regulatory hostility and political risk makes for abysmal risk-adjusted returns.
