The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda has ratified the fine of 3.6 million euros that it imposed on Lloguer Segur for abusive practices against tenants after resolving the appeal filed by the real estate company. The department led by Pablo Bustinduy considers that this company has violated consumer rights by taking advantage of its dominant market position and has deemed the administrative route exhausted.

Celestino Merino is 77 years old and has lived in his apartment on Salou Street in Sants for 45 years. However, life hasn't been easy for him in the last year: seven months ago he was widowed, and at the same time, the real estate company Second House bought his building and now, he says, they want to evict him from the apartment where he has always lived with his wife. One loss is compounded by another, which is yet to come: "I've lived my whole life here, with her, and now it seems I'll have to leave." His eyes well up with tears, but he accepts that if the real estate company doesn't agree to negotiate, he'll have to say goodbye to all his memories in a few days. "It will be hard, I'll miss the neighborhood a lot," he admits. This retired pastry chef is the oldest resident affected by the project launched by Second House, which has also bought two other buildings in the Catalan capital, one on Tapioles Street and the other on Cortines Street. But Celestino's case is not unique: in total, there are almost a dozen neighbors whose rental contracts the real estate company has decided not to renew when they expire, and they face imminent eviction.

This 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.

"For five years I've been waiting to see if I get any notifications, if someone knocks on the door, or if someone comes up the stairs to kick me out. Now that's over and I feel privileged. But it shouldn't be like this." This is Juanjo speaking, a historic activist from Meridian City, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Barcelona. Its history shows the housing crisisHaving experienced all the stages of this problem firsthand, today, however, he has reason to celebrate: the Sostre Cívic cooperative and the Tenants' Union have announced their first joint purchase, that of the apartment where he lives. neighbor and activist. With the acquisition of the property, the organizations emphasize, a double objective is achieved: eviction is permanently prevented, and the apartment is guaranteed to be part of the public system, for social and affordable use.

The story of Juanjo Hernández is the story of the real estate crisis. This 56-year-old resident of Ciudad Meridiana—the poorest neighborhood in Barcelona—has experienced every chapter of the housing drama firsthand: the rising prices of the bubble, buying an apartment at the worst possible time, the outbreak of the housing crisis in 2008, the skyrocketing Euribor that made vulture funds more expensive, and now, the rental crisis. And it's no coincidence, nor is it bad luck. Since the real estate crisis of 2008, this peripheral neighborhood of Barcelona is called by the nickname of Villa Deshaucio.

From the letter A of Alicante, Albacete and Almería to the letter V of Valladolid and the X of Xixón. The thousands of people who overflowed onto Avenida Maria Cristina in Barcelona this Saturday celebrated with a shout of victory the name of each city that joined the first major national mobilization in defense of the right to housing. More than 40 Spanish towns and cities have coordinated their demands for more solutions to the housing emergency from the Spanish government—and the regional executives—whom they accuse of having focused their measures on tax breaks for property owners. "Today we have made history again," Carme Arcarazo, spokesperson for the Renters' Union, claimed in statements to the media before the rally.

The Generalitat has not imposed any fines against empty apartments since the measure was approved three years ago, according to what has been announced. The morning of Catalunya RàdioIn March 2022, Parliament amended the housing law to empower the government to fine large landlords who had vacant apartments for at least two years. However, since then, neither Pere Aragonès's (ERC) government nor Salvador Illa's (PSC) current government have made use of this power, according to the public radio morning show. City councils such as Barcelona's, on the other hand, have imposed fines for unoccupied homes.