“Catalonia’s capacity to legislate on housing must be fully guaranteed in accordance with its historical and legitimate powers” said Esquerra Senator Sara Bailac

Esquerra Republicana has today introduced a motion in the Senate with the aim of promoting measures to curb property speculation and guarantee the right to decent housing. In this way, Esquerra has established the fight to alleviate the housing crisis that Catalonia is suffering as the priority for all chambers.

“Catalonia’s capacity to legislate on housing must be fully guaranteed in accordance with its historical and legitimate powers,” emphasized Sara Bailac, Esquerra’s spokesperson in the Senate, during her speech there. With this initiative, Esquerra’s Senate group has set various priorities in the defence of the right to decent housing, such as Catalonia’s ability to legislate freely in this regard, expanding the public housing stock, ordering the Spanish government’s “bad bank” SAREB to hand over its properties to create social housing, or regulating seasonal rentals, among other measures.

Ms Bailac emphasized Esquerra’s efforts on this, but also recalled that it is insufficient and that more needs to be done. “The regulation of rental prices, promoted by Esquerra Republicana, has begun to show effect where it has been applied. Now, much more needs to be done so that people will begin really to perceive it.” “We say this without bluster, because reality is very far from what we would like it to be,” she added.

Esquerra’s senator likewise identified two very clear axes through which the problem must begin to be solved: SAREB housing on the one hand, and seasonal rentals on the other. “SAREB’s management has been really shameful. Thousands of empty homes, while families live in conditions of extreme vulnerability. Unacceptable”, said Ms Bailac. In the same vein, she “demanded” the “immediate and transparent” transfer of SAREB properties to the public administrations in order to guarantee a “real social fund.” Regarding seasonal rentals, Sara Bailac said that this phenomenon has become “an easy way” for speculators to circumvent the rental price cap.

Finally, Esquerra’s Senate leader concluded by affirming that Catalan society has before it a “historic” opportunity to “be brave and to act.” “May our decision today be a firm commitment to a Catalonia where no one ever has to suffer again for a decent place to live.”