Spain's biggest unions called a nationwide strike on Wednesday over the country's housing crisis, with tens of thousands of young people protesting across recent weeks. Protesters demand affordable housing, stable rental contracts, and higher wages.
Five young Spanish residents described their housing situations to Al Jazeera. Haris Javaid Sharif, 24, a data analyst earning $1,900 monthly, lives with his parents and siblings in a 44-square-metre Barcelona flat, paying $372.50 per month in rent. He was evicted during the pandemic after his family owed five months' rent and spent 11 months in two-room accommodation. Bea Garcia de la Torre, 32, earning $2,400 per month, shares a 70-square-metre Madrid flat with her brother for $1,229 monthly and worries her landlord may evict them or raise rent sharply. Iratxe Gonzalez, 27, a social worker earning $1,200 per month, pays $400 in rent for a 45-square-metre flat shared with three others on a one-year contract she described as insecure. Ignacio Redrado, 32, a teacher earning $2,245, shares a 60-square-metre Madrid flat with four others for $1,067 monthly and noted Spain's average age for leaving home is 30 years old. Arturo Leon, 24, pays $506 monthly for a small Barcelona flat shared with four others and faces a threatened rent increase despite lacking a formal contract and living in a bedroom measuring two metres by 2.6 metres.
The Bank of Spain estimates a shortage of 750,000 homes, potentially rising to 1 million by next year. The government presented two emergency decrees to parliament to protect vulnerable renters, but right-wing parties defeated both measures. The housing crisis prompted the left-wing coalition government to call a snap election for November 29.