Madrid Residents Protest Housing Rent Caps

The Spanish Congress is scheduled to vote on Tuesday regarding housing costs and rent controls. The legislation, proposed by the government, aims to extend rent protections for two years and limit annual rent increases to 2%. Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the People's Party headquarters in Madrid to demand support for the measure. Villa Lobos, president of the Madrid Regional Federation of Neighborhood Associations, addressed the demonstrators. The decree, proposed by the Sommar administration, allows for a two-year extension of rent protections and limits annual rent increases to 2%. Additionally, residents in the commercial center neighborhood held an assembly to protest a municipal project involving the construction of 530 homes and 16,000 square meters of green space. The local assembly claims the project favors real estate funds over neighborhood preservation.