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Protesters in Lisbon, Porto and Faro demand housing rights and a general strike
Crowds gathered in Lisbon, Porto and Faro on Saturday, 24 October, in protests led by the Acampada movement, which has run encampments since 10 October. Police said they would keep favouring dialogue with demonstrators.
Two detained, 19 police hurt at Vitoria eviction protest in Sansomendi
Police moved in on a protest against the eviction of a family with six minor children in Vitoria-Gasteiz on Friday, 23 October. The Basque Security Department reports two arrests, 58 people identified and 19 officers injured, while the city council says it offered the family emergency shelter.
Spain asks two platforms to pull 8,318 tourist flat ads posing as seasonal rentals
The consumer affairs ministry says the listings accept bookings under 31 days, below the minimum set by a decree approved on 6 October. Of the flagged adverts, 6,772 are in the Community of Madrid.
Calvià has Spain's highest average home price at 981,485 euros, Puertollano the lowest
Calvià recorded the highest average home sale price in Spain in 2025, while Pozuelo de Alarcón had the highest average monthly rent in 2024 at 1,499 euros. Madrid and Barcelona held 94 of the 100 most expensive rental districts.
Police evict Valencia university physicist in Burjassot ahead of schedule
The eviction of a University of Valencia researcher went ahead on Thursday, 22 October, with eight police vans, while two appeals filed by his union remain pending.
Basque court upholds legality of Xabi Alonso's villa on Igeldo mountain
The Basque high court (TSJPV) reversed a 2024 first-instance ruling that had annulled the building licence for the villa. The judgment is dated 13 October and was notified on Wednesday, 21 October, and it can still be challenged before the Supreme Court.
Portugal approves decree to unlock inherited vacant homes and blames rental law
Portugal's Council of Ministers approved the final decree on undivided inheritances on Thursday, 22 October. Minister Leitão Amaro cited 485,000 vacant homes and blamed the previous government's rental law for pushing properties off the market.
Spain to approve 45 million euros for 2,000 university places and a new student statute
The Council of Ministers meets on Tuesday, 20 October, to approve seven university housing projects and a royal decree overhauling the 2010 student statute, the government says.
Listed developers sold about 7,000 flats in Q3, but buyers still hold the upper hand
Listed developers sold about 7,000 flats in July to September, 18% more than a year earlier, while Kraków rents fell 5.2% and nearly 80,000 flats were still on sale at the end of September.
Thousands protest housing crisis in Portugal after police clear activist camps in Lisbon and Porto
Police removed 228 tents from activist camps in Lisbon and Porto before dawn on Tuesday, 20 October. That evening thousands rallied, and activists voted to camp again at Rossio square.
Dutch churches call on congregations to house asylum status holders for three months
The Council of Churches in the Netherlands has asked congregations to take in families with status holders who are still waiting for housing, freeing space in overcrowded asylum centres.
Portugal house prices rise 18.4% in Q2 2026 as home sales fall 9%
The median price of homes sold in Portugal reached 2,445 euros per square metre in the second quarter, with increases in all 26 sub-regions. Lisbon remains the most expensive municipality at 5,299 euros per square metre.
Spain evictions fall 35.7% in second quarter of 2026 to 4,474
Spanish courts carried out 4,474 evictions between April and June 2026, 35.7% fewer than a year earlier, according to the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ). Rent-related evictions fell most sharply, while evictions for other causes more than doubled.
Police remove tents from Porto housing protest camp, demonstrators stay in square
On Monday, 12 October, police removed between about 50 and 60 tents from a housing protest camp in Porto's Praça D. João I, which had been set up on Saturday. That evening, about 200 to 250 people held an assembly and voted to spend the night in the square.
German asking rents climb 1.2% in third quarter, the steepest rise since early 2025
Asking rents for newly listed flats in Germany rose 1.2% in the third quarter of 2026 compared with the previous quarter, excluding inflation. Berlin and Düsseldorf posted the largest gains among the eight biggest cities, while existing flats outpaced new builds.
Andalusia has Spain's highest poverty risk at 34.7% in EAPN's 2026 report
Spain's AROPE poverty and exclusion rate stands at 25.7%, with regional gaps of up to 20 points, according to the EAPN-ES report published on 15 October 2026.
Greece plans fines of up to 10,000 euros for renting beds in Athens flats
The Citizen Protection ministry is drafting a ban on renting individual beds in residential flats, with fines of up to 10,000 euros and possible sealing of premises. Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis says the rule targets owners and tenants who convert flats into makeshift dormitories, not the people sleeping there.
German building permits rise 6.8% in August as financing costs weigh on builders
Authorities approved 20,600 new dwellings in August, 6.8 percent more than a year earlier. Higher energy costs, rising interest rates and a weaker builders' sentiment index keep pressure on the sector.
Italian students pitch tents at Montecitorio over rents, housing and university funding
Students from the Unione degli Universitari set up tents in front of the Chamber of Deputies in Rome on 12 October, demanding a meeting with minister Anna Maria Bernini and 7 billion euros for public universities.
Airbnb bars hosts from making guests wash dishes or strip beds for bookings from 20 November
Hosts can no longer require guests to wash dishes, strip beds or take out the rubbish, and must pick from seven standard house rules. The changes cover all bookings made from 20 November.
Greek Council of State bars seizure of family home over state debts without asset check
The ruling requires tax offices and other public creditors to document that a debtor has no other assets before seizing a sole home. The decision, number 1404/2026, covers every debt collected under the Code for Collection of Public Revenues.
Portugal housing protesters return to Lisbon and Porto camps after 55 arrests
Protesters in Lisbon and Porto returned to central squares on Tuesday, 20 October, hours after police dismantled their camps and detained 55 people in the capital. Organisers voted to pitch tents again at Rossio Square from Wednesday, 21 October.
Portugal caps affordable rents from 224 to 2,066 euros across 308 municipalities
Portugal's government published a portaria on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, setting monthly rent ceilings for each typology in every municipality. Lisbon's T5 ceiling of 2,066 euros is the highest, and the caps take effect on Wednesday, 14 October.
Athens students camp in Syntagma Square over rents and study costs
Students from dozens of Athens student associations pitched tents in Syntagma Square on 13 October, planning an overnight sit-in over rents, dormitory shortages and the cost of studying.
Multi-home landlords in Spain charge 7.1% more rent but explain 18% of the rise
An EsadeEcPol study of tax data finds tenants of landlords with several rental homes paid 7.1% more in 2023 than those renting from single-home owners. The report says the gap is real but small next to the wider rise in rents between 2019 and 2023.
Housing costs push 770,000 more working Spaniards into poverty, Oxfam says
Working poverty in Spain rises from 11.48% to 15.49% once rent or mortgage payments are deducted, according to an Oxfam Intermón report published on Tuesday, 20 October.
Basque government agrees to buy 510 protected homes from Blackstone unit for 100 million euros
The Basque government has reached an agreement in principle to buy the surface right over 510 protected homes in Benta Berri, San Sebastián. Tenants will stay in their homes and the protected status will be made permanent.
Greece publishes guide to home renovation scheme with grants up to 95%
Grants cover 70% to 95% of eligible costs, capped at 36,000 euros per home, under a new ESPA scheme that gives priority to closed houses. Application dates have not yet been announced.
Spain's rental market to lose 7,705 homes in 2026 as demand stays high
The Observatorio del Alquiler expects Spain's rental market to close 2026 with 676,215 homes available, while each new listing draws 133 interested renters in its first ten days.
Foreign home purchases in Spain fall 13% in first half of 2026, largest drop since 2020
Foreign buyers bought 62,327 free-market homes in Spain in the first half of 2026, while the average price per square metre rose 9.4% to 2,644 euros, according to notary data.