Adequate housing in the 21st century seems increasingly like a chimera for the vast majority. Capitalism profits from dispossessing people of land and exploiting tenants—not only through rising rents and worsening conditions, but by treating housing as a financial asset for speculation. This global trend has long seen landlords adapt to local contexts, protected by state institutions, legal definitions, and the monopoly on violence.

But there is always a limit.

In early 2025, tenant unions across Spain issued clear demands to national, regional, and local governments. Under the slogan “Acabemos con el negocio de la vivienda” (“Shut Down the Housing Business”), they called for a 50% rent reduction, open-ended leases, the return of empty, tourist, and seasonal rentals to social use, a ban on speculative purchases by vulture funds and individuals, and the dismantling of violent private groups that use coercion and threats to evict tenants.

On April 5, 2025, coordinated demonstrations took place in 39 cities, including Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Valencia, Málaga, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and Donosti. This mobilization is part of a broader strategy that began in 2017 with the founding of the Sindicat de Llogateres (Barcelona Union of Tenants). Since then, tenant organizing in Spain has gained renewed strength and momentum. An international tenant movement is haunting landlords.