The Minister of Youth and Childhood, Sira Rego, has urged this Saturday tenants to officially request the extension of their rental contracts from landlords and to demand that political parties act responsibly in the vote on the royal decree-law that will be debated in the coming days in the Congress of Deputies.
In her statements, Rego recalled that the Government recently approved an extension for rents of up to two years for those contracts expiring in 2026 and 2027. The minister emphasized the importance of tenants in this situation sending a burofax to their landlords requesting the measure.
“It is fundamental that all parties rise to the occasion of this moment, and if the PP and Vox vote against it, tenants must know that they are voting in favor of an abusive increase in prices,” Rego pointed out, stressing that housing is a basic right, especially for young people who need a home to be able to build their future. “Without housing there is no emancipation, and without emancipation there is no future for the country,” he insisted.
Rego made these statements in a symbolic act in which 83 homes for rent for young people were delivered in Rivas Vaciamadrid (Madrid), a project of the Municipal Housing Company. The minister highlighted that these homes are “83 rights made reality, 83 homes, 83 life projects”, emphasizing that the delivery is not just an urbanistic act, but a “clear political response to the housing emergency” that Spain faces.
“Against the speculative model, here is a city that responds with public housing,” Rego affirmed, emphasizing that “it is not normal for independence to have become a privilege”. The minister denounced that for a long time young people have been told that “sharing a room or dedicating half a salary to rent was something normal”, but she underlined that “it is not normal” that access to housing has become such a great challenge for many.
David Lucas, Secretary of State for Housing, was also present at the event and described the “housing emergency” as the biggest problem for Spanish citizens. Lucas argued that access to decent and affordable housing is a fundamental objective for the Government, highlighting that thousands of actions are being carried out in the Community of Madrid, including the construction of more than 16,000 homes and the rehabilitation of 58,000 more. However, he also highlighted the need to act on other fronts, such as the limitation of tourist rentals and the control of rental prices.
The Secretary of State criticized the Community of Madrid for not allowing the declaration as a stressed area of municipalities like Rivas, which wish to use this legal tool to control rental prices.
Finally, Lucas announced that the Ministry of Housing is “about to approve” the new State Housing Plan 2026-2030, which will allocate 7,000 million euros to housing policies, including more social housing developments, rehabilitation for the most needy and aid for vulnerable groups, such as families at risk of social exclusion, victims of gender violence and young people with difficulties accessing housing.