Sumar’s ministers asked this Monday the PSOE, their government partner, for the immediate approval of a royal decree extending the rental contracts expiring in the next few months. The objective is to maintain prices over the next three years and thus prevent, according to the left party’s calculations, around 300,000 families from finding themselves in a vulnerable situation due to abusive market increases in recent years. In the case of areas declared stressed, those in which housing costs are very high in relation to residents’ income, the moratorium would be five years.
The formation already envisaged this measure in the royal decree presented in a press conference in the presence of almost all of its ministers in mid-October. No progress has been made public since then, but privately, sources in Sumar assure that negotiations are underway with the socialists. The PSOE, through Minister Isabel Rodríguez, is responsible for the housing policy of the Executive, although the initiatives of this ministry have caused several disagreements between the partners.
For months, successive CIS barometers have placed this issue as the main problem for Spaniards (it concerns 20% of the population, according to the November study) and in Sumar it is very clear that to revive the government it is necessary to act on the real estate market. Among other measures, the decree also advocates the application of price regulation on a general, immediate and transitional basis until the declaration of stressed areas, which is prevented by most communities, governed by the PP, which refuse to apply the Construction Law passed in 2023.
“The situation is urgent”, insisted the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, this morning during an information breakfast organized by Europa Press. “This extension is a real and immediate protection measure, which gives stability to families and prevents a general increase in rents. It is an essential tool in a context of housing emergency, where too many families live with the fear of not being able to renew the contract”, defended Movimiento spokesperson Sumar. Urtasun recalled that this measure is complemented by a bill from his group, the examination of which will be discussed this Tuesday in Congress, which prohibits the purchase of housing by vulture funds, SOCIMIS and large speculative companies, in addition to the law regulating seasonal rentals and rentals. The latter, however, is doomed to failure. Even if it sees the light of day in committee this week or next, it is doomed to failure due to the rejection of Junts and the PP majority in the Senate.
“We ask the PSOE to unblock this rule (…) There is no future in Spain if we do not address the housing problem”, underlined Vice President Yolanda Díaz upon her arrival this Monday at another event, speaking about the extension of contracts. The head of Social Rights, Pablo Bustinduy, one of the supporters of the decree, also justified the need to advance rights in the context of the conviction and resignation of the State Attorney General, Álvaro García Ortiz. 300,000 expiring rental contracts,” he underlined.
