The Tenants' Union, one year after November 23rd: "We urge those whose contracts are expiring not to leave their homes."

BarcelonaThis Sunday will mark one year since historic demonstration in Barcelona which brought together tens of thousands of people to demand a reduction in rental prices. The cap was only just beginning to take effect: the prices of new contracts They fell by 5.2% in Barcelona in the second quarter from 2024, but the seasonal rental gap opened an escape route for one in five new rentalsNow, the Tenants' Union, which spurred the entire citizenry to demonstrate, is taking stock of a year in which its income and membership have skyrocketed, and in which it has launched other struggles, such as the rent strike at La Caixa.

"We've just come through a significant period of mobilization, and we need to turn that into civil disobedience. We're calling on people not to leave their homes in the face of the expiration of 150,000 rental contracts in 2026. We're urging people not to leave if their contracts are ending and landlords try to force them out with abusive conditions. We're calling for concrete mobilization: if your rental contract is ending, don't leave," explained spokesperson Enric Aragonès at a press conference on Thursday. He criticized the abuse of automatic renewals of rental contracts, arguing that if a contract isn't renewed, it doesn't guarantee the tenant the right to remain for up to five or seven years, as stipulated by law. Furthermore, it avoids the need for a new contract, which would subject the tenant to new regulations that could reduce the rent.

However, this is not the only action the union currently has on the table; they are also working to carry out a major general strike in conjunction with labor unions. "Labor gains are of little use if more than half your salary goes to rent; people are more afraid of being evicted than of losing their jobs," he continued, regarding an initiative that does not yet have a set timeline.

The hot potato of the political season

Beyond the union sphere, they have two major legislative initiatives on the political horizon to regulate seasonal rentals, one of the union's main battlegrounds. One is the law that has begun the discussion phase of the drafting to reform the Urban Leases Act (LAU) and clarify that temporary rentals are "residential." Another initiative, with a similar objective, is underway in the Catalan Parliament, where several parties have agreed on Catalan regulations for this type of rental, limiting it exclusively to homes used for holidays or recreational purposes. They will also closely monitor the proposal to limit speculative purchases that the Catalan Government is already studying.

The union currently has over 5,880 members, an increase of 80 members compared to last year. This year, which began last September, it registered a 59% increase in income, reaching €274,946. The majority of this (86.6%) comes from membership dues, 8.4% from contributions, and the remainder from crowdfunding and donations. In this period, beyond its usual union activities to defend tenants' rights, the association is actively fighting for tenant rights in 80 apartment buildings across Catalonia. Most of these protests are in Barcelona, and they stem from the eviction of residents for various reasons. colivingsNon-renewal of contracts and the 12 organized blocks belonging to La Caixa, where they denounce abusive clauses and lack of maintenance. In fact, a campaign is already underway in dozens of homes affected by the rent strike. Another milestone highlighted by the union this year is the first-ever agreement with a cooperative, in this case Sostre Cívic, to purchase their homes and prevent eviction.