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TELL US: Who's to blame for Spain's housing crisis?

Esme Fox
Esme Fox - esme@thelocal.es
Published: 28 Sep, 2026 CET. Updated: Mon 28 Sep 2026 14:30 CET
TELL US: Who's to blame for Spain's housing crisis?
Demonstrators install a banner reading 'Universal housing, qualitative and free' one day after protestors installed tents to express against evictions and the housing crisis. Photo: Thomas COEX / AFP
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Tourist rentals? Vulture funds? Greedy landlords? Have your say on the issues affecting housing in Spain - let us know who you think is to blame and what solutions there are to the problem of sky-high rents in the country.

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Spain's housing crisis is back in the headlines following the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen from her lifelong home in Madrid, after an investment firm bought her building and put up her rent fivefold.

Hundreds of protesters are now camped out in the Spanish capital's main square demanding the government fix a situation which affects most of the country's 9 million renters.

Many have been blamed for Spain’s housing crisis – greedy landlords, tenants who stay and refuse to pay rent, foreigners buying up second homes, vacation rental platforms such as Airbnb, tourists, and of course the national government itself for the failure of its housing policies thus far.

READ ALSO: Inside Spain - A housing crisis so bad people rent corridors for €500

Speculation and people buying investment properties have also been blamed for the crisis, and while big vulture funds have been mentioned as being partly at fault, after Maricarmen's eviction, anger is being directed at them once again.

We'd love to hear your opinion in the brief, two-question survey below:

 

 

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Comments (2)

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Selso, Graduate and PHD Student
While Maricarmen’s eviction—following a fivefold rent hike by an investment firm—rightly sparks outrage, Madrid’s crisis goes beyond one case. The core issue is a structural mismatch: rapid urban expansion versus lagging housing supply, worsened by homes being converted into holiday rentals. Though Airbnb clusters inflate local prices, tourism isn't the sole driver. PDF Instead of blaming small landlords, foreigners, or tenants, we must demand accountability. Madrid must strictly enforce tourist-housing regulations, invest in affordable public rentals near transit, accelerate office-to-residential conversions, and protect vulnerable residents. Crucially, we need transparency. Madrid claims 497 tourist flats were returned to residential use, but are they affordable? A public scorecard must track completed units, rent-to-income ratios, and displacements prevented. This shifts the focus from moral blame to institutional responsibility.
Leonard Asturias, ES
Refusing to pass a new budget. Political infighting on the left preventing passing pro Spain legislation and using blackmail. PP obsession with attack dog PR 24/7.Regional selfishness. BUT NEVERMIND THE PAST ... PP AND VOX HOW ARE YOU GONNA FIX IT WHEN IN GOVERNMENT... I DARE YOU. And specifics not trickle down voodoo. Come on tell us.

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