Andorra Housing Union Slams Rental Deregulation as 'Expulsion Law', Vows Parish-by-Parish Protests

The Sindicat d’Habitatge d’Andorra (SHA) has issued a fierce rejection of the government’s plan to deregulate the rental market progressively from 2027 to 2030, calling it a “programmed expulsion law” that could displace up to 49% of the population and spark widespread street protests.

In a detailed document sent yesterday to the head of government, the executive council and parliamentary groups, the SHA warned of “sustained” mobilisations “parish by parish, neighbourhood by neighbourhood” if the proposal advances. It targets around 20,000 contracts still under 2019 forced extensions out of roughly 25,000 total rentals, potentially affecting 43,800 people based on an average household size of 2.19. One source cited government estimates of up to 40,000 people impacted, while the SHA calculated as high as 53,000 across 24,000 contracts. Official projections indicate rents for a standard 70m² apartment could climb 47% by 2032, from €525 to €772, outpacing wage increases.

The group argued the phased timeline—freeing 2012-or-earlier contracts or those under €6/m² in 2027, 2013-2015 or under €7/m² in 2028, 2016-2018 or under €8/m² in 2029, and 2019-2021 in 2030—merely postpones unchecked private deals without real protections. It violates civil law tenets like contractual good faith, weaker-party safeguards and rights abuse bans, plus constitutional guarantees of dignity, family life, privacy and social cohesion. Exemptions for post-2022 contracts or those over €2,500 risk encouraging evasion, amid gaps like no public property registry or updated housing census.

As an alternative, the SHA proposed indefinite contracts as the norm for rentals ending from January 1, 2027, with termination limited to verifiable causes such as proven owner/family use, incompatible renovations or major tenant breaches. Rent hikes would tie to a Reference Price Index (IPR), actual property value, dignity standards and purchasing power, with mandatory mediation, arbitration or collective bargaining. It called for banning all evictions—formal or “silent”—without in-country alternatives, occupancy limits on room rentals, penalties for fraud like the “son’s trap” and measures against empty homes.

After years of efforts, including the April 5 rally and what it deemed performative talks, the SHA declared dialogue exhausted. “Enough with the outstretched hand,” it said, blaming the executive for any social conflict and vowing to rally “all popular forces.” “Our lives rest on our homes... when you threaten that safe space, you take everything. When you have nothing to lose, fear vanishes. We choose conflict, we choose to fight.” The document accidentally included internal notes, such as coordination claims with housing groups in the Pyrenees, Catalonia, Spain and—erroneously—Switzerland.