Cáritas Calls for an End to Evictions Without Housing Alternatives and Greater Protection for Room Tenants: Ibiza Among the Areas Affected

October 30, 2026

Cáritas Española has presented eleven proposals to political parties ahead of Spain's general elections on 29 November 2026, calling for changes to housing legislation, stronger protection against evictions, improved access to social benefits and greater employment security.

Several of the proposals address problems particularly relevant to Ibiza and Formentera, where high accommodation costs, seasonal employment and limited access to affordable housing have left many residents and workers relying on rented rooms, informal accommodation arrangements and temporary housing.

Among the organisation's main demands are changes to the Urban Leases Law (Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos, LAU) to provide people renting individual rooms with stronger legal protections, and reforms to eviction procedures to prevent people from losing their homes without compensation or an adequate alternative.

The proposals draw on discussions involving 84 reflection groups and approximately 940 people supported by Cáritas since January 2026, alongside research from the organisation's Reality Observatory and the FOESSA Foundation.

Stronger Protection for People Renting Rooms

One of Cáritas' central housing proposals is to modify the Urban Leases Law so that people renting individual rooms receive legal guarantees comparable to those enjoyed by other residential tenants.

Room rentals have become an important part of the housing market in Ibiza, where the cost of renting an entire property places it beyond the reach of many workers and households.

For people sharing accommodation, however, arrangements can be informal, with limited contractual protection and uncertainty over how long they will be allowed to remain.

Cáritas argues that these residents should not be left without adequate legal safeguards simply because they rent a room rather than an entire property.

The organisation also wants the Civil Procedure Law (Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil, LEC) to be amended so that people affected by eviction proceedings can access compensation or suitable alternative accommodation.

Under its proposal, evictions should not proceed until these protections have been guaranteed.

Cáritas is also calling for the development of a larger stock of social housing, including emergency accommodation for people and families facing an immediate housing crisis.

New Study Highlights the Scale of Spain's Rental Affordability Problem

The proposals coincide with the publication of a new Cáritas and FOESSA study, La vivienda imposible: Del alquiler inaccesible al realquiler de supervivencia, released on 28 October 2026.

The research found that 50.6% of people currently renting in Spain would not have sufficient income to access housing at current market rental prices while keeping housing expenditure within 30% of their available resources.

The study also found that 69.5% of the population currently living in rented accommodation falls below the income threshold required to purchase the reference property under the financial conditions used in the research.

One of the report's most concerning findings concerns the growing reliance on room rentals and informal subletting.

During 2025, 266,435 people supported by Cáritas, approximately one in four of those assisted by the organisation, had resorted to renting rooms as a housing solution.

The study warns that informal room rentals can leave people exposed to immediate eviction, weak contractual protection and restrictions on the use of shared spaces.

For families with children, the consequences can extend beyond housing insecurity, affecting privacy, everyday family life and the ability to provide suitable conditions for children to grow up.

Ibiza's Housing Crisis Reflected in FOESSA Research

The situation has particular relevance to Ibiza, where access to affordable housing has become one of the island's most significant social challenges.

The FOESSA report on social exclusion and development in Ibiza, presented in January 2026, found that 20.4% of the island's population, approximately 32,000 people, experienced some form of social exclusion.

The research also identified residential exclusion affecting 33% of the population.

Around 16,000 people, representing 16.9% of Ibiza's population, were living in situations of housing insecurity. This includes circumstances in which people face uncertainty about whether they can remain in their accommodation or experience other forms of residential instability.

A further approximately 19,000 people were living in inadequate housing conditions, including properties with structural problems, insufficient basic facilities or inadequate space and privacy.

The findings underline why Cáritas' proposals concerning room rentals, eviction protection and emergency housing are particularly relevant to the Pitiusas.

Changes to Migration Rules and Access to Social Benefits

Beyond housing, Cáritas is calling for changes to Spain's migration framework.

The organisation wants the conditions governing regular entry into Spain to be reviewed and proposes that residence authorisation should not depend exclusively on having an employment contract.

According to Cáritas, insufficient legal migration routes can push people towards dangerous journeys when safer and regular alternatives are unavailable.

The organisation also wants public administrations to remove barriers preventing people residing in Spain, including those without regular immigration status, from accessing basic social benefits.

These proposals are particularly relevant to the Balearic Islands, where migration, temporary employment and access to essential services are important issues for vulnerable communities.

Reforming the Minimum Living Income and Improving Employment Conditions

Cáritas also wants changes to Spain's Minimum Living Income scheme (Ingreso Mínimo Vital, IMV) to make it more accessible to people experiencing severe poverty and social exclusion.

Its proposals include:

  • Reducing the household unit used to calculate eligibility to the nuclear family unit.

  • Making residence-related administrative requirements more flexible.

  • Automatically reactivating the benefit when temporary employment ends.

The final proposal has particular relevance to seasonal economies such as Ibiza, where many workers alternate between periods of employment and unemployment as the tourism season changes.

In employment policy, Cáritas also proposes requiring part-time contracts to be justified by legitimate reasons and strengthening workers' rights to increase their contracted hours when vacancies become available.

The organisation additionally calls for better pay and working conditions for professional carers and stronger oversight of domestic employment, including registration through the State Public Employment Service (SEPE).

Healthcare, Transport and Human Rights Also Included

The eleven proposals extend beyond housing, migration and employment.

Cáritas is calling for improved public healthcare coverage for people experiencing social exclusion, particularly in areas such as dental, eye and hearing care.

Other recommendations include:

  • More affordable public transport, particularly for people living in rural areas.

  • Stronger implementation of legislation guaranteeing equal treatment and non-discrimination.

  • A comprehensive law addressing human trafficking.

  • Greater effectiveness in protecting human rights.

  • A fair ecological transition.

  • Compliance with the commitment to allocate 0.7% of gross domestic product to official development assistance.

The organisation argues that social exclusion cannot be addressed through housing policy alone and requires coordinated measures covering employment, healthcare, migration and access to essential services.

Proposals Based on the Experiences of People Facing Social Exclusion

The eleven proposals were developed through 84 discussion groups involving approximately 940 people accompanied by Cáritas since January 2026.

The organisation also draws on research from its Reality Observatory and the FOESSA Foundation.

Cáritas reports that it supports approximately 2.13 million people through its wider network, which includes 70 diocesan Cáritas organisations, more than 4,923 parish Cáritas groups and 67,966 volunteers.

The organisation is asking political parties to incorporate its recommendations into their electoral programmes, placing particular emphasis on protecting people at risk of poverty, housing insecurity and social exclusion.

For Ibiza and Formentera, the proposals bring renewed attention to the difficulties faced by workers and families who cannot afford conventional rental accommodation, as well as the need for stronger protection for people living in rented rooms or facing eviction without an alternative place to stay.

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