Metropolitan mayors debate housing solutions

Three metropolitan mayors, Marta Farrés of Sabadell, Mireia González of Santa Coloma de Gramenet, and Xavier García Albiol of Badalona, clashed on approaches to the housing crisis during a debate at BCN Desperta! 2026, held Friday at Casa Seat in Barcelona. While all acknowledged the lack of affordable housing as a critical issue, their proposed remedies diverged sharply. The event took place the same day Spain’s Congress rejected two government-backed housing decree-laws aimed at protecting tenants, including a suspension of evictions for vulnerable households until 2030 and automatic renewal of rental contracts.

'Housing is a public service', say PSC mayors

Farrés and González, both from the centre-left PSC (Socialists' Party of Catalonia), argued that housing must be treated as a fundamental right, not a commodity.

Housing is an essential good, of maximum strategic interest, and therefore must be protected and not treated as a consumer good.

González said public housing should be conceived as a public service comparable to healthcare or education. Farrés added that social housing must remain publicly owned and called for stronger action against investment funds holding vacant properties without maintenance or transparency.

In contrast, Badalona’s PP mayor Xavier García Albiol stressed the role of private landlords in expanding the rental market. He cited Bank of Spain data indicating small property owners account for 92% of rental units.

A landlord who doesn't feel safe, who isn't assured they will be able to collect rent, will hold onto the property and won't put it on the market.

He warned that recent legislative proposals from Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government, including those rejected by Congress on Friday, undermine legal certainty by favouring non-paying tenants and weakening landlords’ ability to reclaim properties. According to Albiol, such measures risk discouraging small landlords, including pensioners renting out secondary homes, from entering the market. On 30 September 2026, Albiol reiterated this stance in a Senate appearance, stating current policies are reducing rental supply and pushing prices up. He called for legal reforms to speed up private housing development and strengthen protections for landlords, arguing this would incentivise more private rentals.

Focus remains on 'vulture funds'

All three mayors agreed that speculative investment entities, often referred to as 'vulture funds', are a core problem. Farrés noted these companies frequently do not know how many properties they own or their condition. However, she and González maintained that tenant protections are essential to prevent exploitative practices and displacement. Albiol countered that overregulation could backfire by shrinking the rental pool. The debate comes as local governments seek greater tools to address housing shortages across Catalonia’s metropolitan area, with no consensus yet on balancing tenant rights and owner incentives.

Primary sources: badalona.cat. Reported by metropoliabierta.elespanol.com, bbc.com, bbc.co.uk, euronews.com, esquerradiari.cat, france24.com, Metrópoli Abierta - Urban Life.