Not in the city, not in the countryside: In Spain, rental pressure leaves tenants with nowhere to go

https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2024-06-16/not-in-the-city-not-in-the-countryside-in-spain-rental-pressure-leaves-tenants-with-nowhere-to-go.html

by Logibenq

5 comments

  1. Spain doesn’t help itself with its rental laws. It’s just not worth buying or building something to rent out (increasing rental stock) because it’s a nightmare if the tenants decide to just stop paying rent, especially if there’s kids living there. You’re stuck with them living for free for years, whilst it crawls through the courts.

    Developers, not surprisingly, can’t be fucked with it. Build and sell or build and holiday let, exacerbating the problem.

  2. Infuriates me some of the Spanish’s cheek towards tourists. We damn near prop up 10% of your jobs, and the only reason we come is because YOU have built your country around it

    Take it up with your government instead of spray painting messages advocating killing tourists your pathetic, jobless bums (aimed directly at those doing the graffiti, of course I love 99% of Spaniards)

  3. In my street (I would say a few hundred meters long), in the last 5 years, 7 full buildings have been turned into touristic rentals. In this same time frame, rental prices have gone up 40-50%, and wages have stagnated.

    I know that, if things don’t change, I will have to leave the city because I won’t be able to afford rent after my current rent contract expires. My wage is top 15-20% of the country, and this is the 2nd poorest region. I’m one of the privileged here. I know plenty of people that had to leave already. If things don’t change, the city will become an amusement park for tourists.

    Are people really surprised the situation creates anymosity against tourism?

  4. From the article I understood that it is not everywhere in Spain, just in some areas with a lot of tourists (and in Madrid but for different reasons apparently). Are there cities in Spain where situation with renting is overall alright?

  5. Also in Italy: taxation on holiday rents is ridiculously low (you could be a billionaire and still pay 22% flat) and it takes YEARS to evict tenants that stop pay – up to 18 years if they have a newborn.
    We need a big change in legislation because all touristic town are becoming open air amusement parks, it’s quite sad.

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