The Minister of Housing and Urban Agenda, Isabel Rodríguez, insisted this Wednesday that the new housing decree "protects all Spaniards, regardless of who they vote for" and lamented that the PP has decided to stay out of what she considers a "great social consensus" around these measures.
In statements to the program Espejo Público, from Antena 3, she highlighted the measures against evictions, the stability of rents, tax incentives, and the reinforcement of the public housing stock.
Rodríguez recalled that the evictions of vulnerable people were suspended until January, when Parliament rejected extending that protection, and emphasized that the new decree incorporates tools to guarantee the action of the administrations in cases of vulnerability.
As she explained, the designed system will allow, in these situations, both the protection mechanisms for owners and the response of public administrations by court order to be activated.
Regarding rental, the minister rejected the figures that speak of the disappearance of 400,000 homes from the rented stock since Pedro Sánchez arrived at the Moncloa and assured that Spain is now at "the highest levels of rental housing."
She linked part of that greater stability to the extension of the duration of contracts and emphasized that the new decree includes two additional years of extension for lease contracts.
Rodríguez added that the regulation seeks to tackle fraud in seasonal rentals and called on the administrations with competencies to strengthen inspection efforts to detect situations of overcrowding and other irregular uses of properties.
In this line, she attributed the difficulties in accessing rental housing to "speculation" and specifically pointed to large investors who "compete with citizens for homes." In response, she defended tax incentives for small landlords who rent below market price or within the reference index, with deductions of up to 100% of what is declared in the IRPF.
She also supported measures regarding tourist apartments and explained that the decree sets a specific VAT for these accommodations in order to place them "on equal terms" with businesses like hotels and contain speculation.
Measures to promote affordable housing
Regarding the Sareb, Rodríguez has defended the management of the Executive and has assured that, since Sánchez arrived in Government, more than 10,000 families have been attended to through social protection mechanisms. She added that 40,000 homes from the Sareb have been incorporated that are being prepared to be made available to the public.
The minister has claimed the need to consolidate a public and protected housing stock "forever" and has rejected that protected homes can be built and then sold at higher prices, losing their protected status. Therefore, she has demanded that this protection be maintained indefinitely.
Rodríguez has explained that the State Plan includes aid of up to 70% of the value of a home so that the autonomous communities can acquire properties from the private market and allocate them to the public stock.
In the field of construction, she has defended that the Government has supported the sector in recent years and has highlighted that the homes started reached their best record in 18 years in the first quarter of 2026. She added that protected housing already represents 20% of the total homes started and has advocated for maintaining, at a minimum, that percentage and even increasing it.
The minister has pointed out the duration of administrative procedures as one of the bottlenecks to expand the housing supply and has reminded that the granting of building licenses is the responsibility of the municipalities. As a way to shorten deadlines, she has defended the industrialization of construction and has cited as an example projects executed in less than a year through industrialized systems.
Rodríguez has indicated that the Government has also promoted the incorporation of labor into the sector, mentioning the regularization of migrant workers requested by the companies themselves and the PERTE for the industrialization of construction.
Rodríguez calls for support to continue housing policies
The minister believes that housing policies should be applied regardless of political affiliation and has criticized the PP for not supporting the Government's initiatives.
Likewise, he has expressed his confidence that, after the elections on November 29, the Executive will achieve a broader majority that facilitates the necessary agreements to develop its agenda on housing. "We have to keep working," he emphasized, defending the need to build more housing and expand the protected housing stock.