The price of rent in Spain continues to increase, but above all, it increases more in large cities like Madrid and Barcelona. A situation which outrages many tenants and which is beginning to provoke first rent strike in the capital, with the aim of putting an end to unfair clauses and increases well above the 3% provided for by the law on urban leases.
In such a situation, many tenants wonder what they can do. Next, we explain what a tenants strike and how owners can cope.
Housing demonstration in Madrid
This Sunday, October 13, a tenant demonstration took place in Madrid under the slogan “It’s over. Let’s lower the rents. »
The promoters of this demonstration consider that if tenants unite and stop paying at the same time, the problem will become that of landlords and governments.
What is a rent strike?
The rent strike consists of tenants stopping paying because they consider that the rental price is very high or is due to a recent increase in rental price.
However, it must be taken into account that in Spain, unlike many other countries, a rent strike is not envisaged in the Spanish legislation. This practice is therefore illegal and can have legal consequences for tenants who stop paying their rent partially or completely.
Likewise, it is not a situation that occurs only in our country, since in other places in the world like Argentina, Mexico or Canada This type of political and social actions also began to take place.
Tenant strikes in Spain?
Despite what many think, there is a history of these types of actions in our country. More precisely, the only precedent is the rent strike of the 1930s in Barcelonawhere more than 90,000 workers joined a rent strike to protest the price of a lease in relation to their salary.
While in the case of Madrid, a week ago the tenants union went on strike. Accordingly, 8,000 people They stopped paying their rent in part, mainly due to significant increases from the third year of the lease, as well as due to the intention of the vulture background that the tenant assumes other expenses, such as IBI, community and non-payment insurance. To give some figures, the price can range from 760 euros to 1,100 euros per accommodation.
What to do if your tenant doesn’t pay their rent?
The goal of the tenants who are striking is continue to pay the price indicated in the initial contract, as well as any required updates. However, with the law in hand this would not be legal, but the social reality seems alien to vulture funds like Nestar-Azora, which can technically continue to increase prices without limit within the legal framework.
Even if this does not seem to be the case, rent strikes, despite their illegality, are a recurring action for unions and pressure groups, both because the owner or fund will be obliged to negotiate.
In this situation, the landlords’ first option is to negotiate the rent price, but if no agreement is reached, they will have to go to court. Added to this is the saturation of Spanish justice, which can delay non-payment of rent for years, so landlords, sooner or later, are usually open to negotiation.
At present, There are 10 blocks in Madrid on partial strike rentals. Only time will tell if this trend increases and if the solution comes through this type of action or through a law that truly responds to the social reality of our country.
