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Protest against housing crisis in Spain

29 points · 55 comments · akbarnama

  1. jadermcs · · focus · HN ↗
    The solution to house prices increase is to build more houses, but the protests demand to freeze prices instead of building more. Are they dumb or is it intentional to keep their cities small and exclusive?
    1. plqbfbv · · focus · HN ↗
      > Are they dumb or is it intentional to keep their cities small and exclusive?

      Madrid has 3.4Mln people and is the second-largest city in the EU. How big do you want it to become?

      I disagree on "just build more". There was a time where salaries moved more or less line with cost of living, and especially rents, but with AirBnB and estate funds sucking up any and all places they find, there's an enormous pressure that drives up rents for common people, which already struggle as-is to make ends meet. "Just build more" would simply keep pushing those towards the edges of town over time, while the city becomes a glorified luxury hotel that only rich people can afford. I welcome new regulation to combat this.

      I just hope this event shatters any hope for the ultra-right parties that voted against it, and that people remember this. Ultimately, if anyone will build more, it'll still be the large real estate companies and funds that keep increasing rents on their tenants.

      1. cinntaile · · focus · HN ↗
        Build more and higher. Often times people don't want to build higher although they really need to, I hope Madrid is not one of those places.

        Ban AirBnB's and ban estate funds from owning homes.

        1. Ekaros · · focus · HN ↗
          Nothing wrong with estate funds owning homes as long as you keep building. They will invest at slight profits and that is why to give flexibility that renters need.

          Just need to prevent them from hoarding land or delaying building.

          1. cinntaile · · focus · HN ↗
            They have to make money so that means yearly price increases for the tenants. It's literal rent extraction while no actual value is being added.
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