The lack of access to decent housing has become a global structural emergency. International organizations warn that 3 billion people will be living in inadequate housing conditions by 2030, while today 1.1 billion people reside in informal settlements or slums, and 318 million people are homeless.
The financialization of housing is the main driver of the housing crisis. Between 2010 and 2024, housing prices in the United Kingdom and Europe increased by more than 50%, while rents rose by 25%. According to the OECD, nearly 10% of urban households spend more than 40% of their income on rent, placing them in a vulnerable position in the face of any unforeseen circumstance. The Western world has undergone a profound transformation, as in much of Europe and North America, more than 60% of the rental housing stock is controlled by investors with multiple properties or by corporate landlords.
The global tenants’ movement organized itself to respond to this emergency through a calendar of rent strikes and demonstrations running from March to June 2026. The European Action Coalition (EAC), which maintains an ongoing protest agenda against touristification, evictions, and financial speculation, called for the “Housing Action Days” from March 23 to 29, in a coordinated global week of action involving more than 60 cities under the slogan “Housing, not profit.” The International Union of Tenants (IUT) held its 23rd World Conference between Copenhagen and Malmö from May 7 to 9, 2026, coinciding with its centenary. The gathering addressed housing as a human right, affordability, and the struggle against financialization, in an attempt to build alternatives to the dominant speculative logic. At the same time, in the Spanish State, the Confederation of Tenants’ Unions organized a wave of protests that began in Seville on May 9 and will continue across different localities throughout the state during May and June.
The current situation requires a new social contract that redefines housing as a right rather than a speculative asset for profit-making. Without regulation capable of rolling back real estate speculation, cities will become territories reserved exclusively for tourists and vulture funds. Rent strikes and the occupation of empty buildings are emerging as some of the pressure tactics that continue to gain strength and cross-sector support as new stages unfold in a conflict demanding indefinite contracts, rent reductions exceeding 50%, the full expropriation of investment funds such as “Blackstone,” the implementation of an extreme tax system on large-scale landlords or, in a more radical position, the outright prohibition of profit-making from housing.
Sources
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ONU-Habitat (2026). World Cities Report 2026. https://wuf.unhabitat.org/event/wuf13/world-cities-report-2026
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ONU-Habitat (2026). Launch of the World Cities Report 2026. https://wuf.unhabitat.org/event/wuf13/launch-world-cities-report-2026
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Centro Urbano (2026). ONU-Habitat pone la vivienda al centro de su Plan 2026-2029. https://centrourbano.com/revista/vivienda/onu-habitat-vivienda-plan-2026-2029/
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Nation Thailand (2026). Global Housing Emergency: 300 Million Homeless as Slum Populations Surpass One Billion. https://www.nationthailand.com/news/world/40060991
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International Union of Tenants (2026). IUT World Conference. https://www.iut.nu/events/iut-world-conference/
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World Urban Forum (2026). Resilient real estate and social rental housing pillars of sustainable cities. https://wuf.unhabitat.org/event/wuf13/resilient-real-estate-and-social-rental-housing-pillars-sustainable-cities
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European Action Coalition (2026). Housing Action Days 2026. https://housingnotprofit.org/housing-action-days-2026/
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El Salto Diario (2026). Madrid inundará las calles el 24 de mayo para “poner fin al rentismo y la especulación”. https://www.elsaltodiario.com/madrid/madrid-inundara-calles-24-mayo-poner-fin-al-rentismo-especulacion
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Poder Inquilino (2026). Movilizaciones por la vivienda. https://poderinquilino.org/movilizaciones2026/
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Democrata (2026). 61% of the rental stock is controlled by multi-landlords and companies. https://www.democrata.es/en/economy/61-of-the-rental-stock-is-controlled-by-multi-landlords-and-companies/
