Sumar agrees with the PSOE on the extension of rents until 2028
The Spanish government still has to negotiate its approval with the groups in Congress
Madrid / BarcelonaSumar announced this Wednesday that it has agreed with the PSOE on the extension of rents until 2028 through a new housing decree that will also include tax incentives for landlords, a measure indispensable to ensure that the text is finally approved with the favorable vote of Junts in Congress.
This decree, which the Spanish government had tried to push forward but which Congress rejected in April with the opposing vote of PP, Vox and Junts, was one of the executive's pending tasks, especially for the minority partner of the executive, Sumar. The party founded by Yolanda Díaz had proposed to bring the measure back to the Council of Ministers so that it would be approved before the summer so that the freezing of rents would become a reality as soon as possible.
"The new royal decree-law includes a broad package of measures that will allow for a comprehensive solution to the problem of access to housing, currently the main concern of Spanish citizens," Sumar assured in a statement. The party did not, however, speak of possible concessions to third parties, especially Junts, PNB and Podem.
Despite Sumar's announcement this Wednesday, the Ministry of Housing, held by the PSOE, assured that it already planned to bring a new draft decree to the Council of Ministers. Ministry sources explained to the media that "in favor of the agreement," they will maintain "discretion regarding the content" of the text. The same sources assure that the decree will be "broad, ambitious and will include structural solutions to the housing problem".
Possible lack of votes in Congress
The main difficulty in approving this text is not in the Council of Ministers, where the announced agreement clearly shows the understanding between the socialists and Sumar. Once the Spanish government gives it the green light, the content of the norm will come into force temporarily until Congress validates it a few weeks later.
It is precisely in this parliamentary vote where there are doubts about the viability of the decree: Junts already rejected the first version because it required tax bonuses for owners of rental flats that the text did not include. However, if these bonuses do appear in the new decree, it is Podem who could vote against it and, therefore, make the text fall for the second time.
In fact, this Wednesday Podem has described the reform of the land law included in the draft decree as a "red line". This modification would entail, according to the parliamentary group, "legalizing illegal urban planning projects retroactively" and eliminating "the right of a former owner to recover land expropriated for public interest".
However, another indispensable group for the norm to move forward in the Spanish parliament, the PNB, has asked the government to modify the land law to "streamline planning and avoid blockages", regulate seasonal rentals to "combat fraud" and guarantee "respect for regional competencies".