Andorra Housing Union Delivers Demands to MPs Ahead of Rent De-Freezing Debate

The Sindicat d’Habitatge d’Andorra (SHA) has delivered a detailed working document to the parliamentary groups Demòcrates per Andorra (DA) and Ciutadans Compromesos (CC), outlining key demands and non-negotiable positions ahead of the final debate on the rent de-freezing law, which the group calls the “programmed expulsion law.”

A meeting with the majority groups remains unscheduled due to agenda conflicts, though the SHA expressed willingness to engage constructively. The document calls for extending protections to permanent rental contracts signed after 2021 that expire between 2027 and 2030, arguing that the current timeline creates unfair disparities among tenants and overly favors landlords who renewed at higher market rates post-2021.

On pricing, the SHA demands a comprehensive review of planned increases, rejecting mere percentage cuts. It proposes objective criteria tied to property values and purchasing power via a single reference price index, elimination of automatic hikes, and use of public housing prices solely as an upper limit with fully public, verifiable methodology.

The group targets potential eviction loopholes, including the “child trap”—where owners reclaim homes for alleged family use. Proposals include stricter justification requirements, automatic investigations on suspicion or complaint before contract end, adequate fraud compensation, right of tenant re-entry if abuse is proven, or mandatory re-letting at prior rent levels adjusted only by IPC.

Further demands seek to close indirect eviction paths, such as reclaiming homes to house owner-employed workers, sales to buyers intending primary residence as a separate ground, or terminations linked to two public safety sanctions in a year. The SHA also questions exclusions like rents over €2,500, single-family homes, or pre-2019 notices, urging review of any expansions.

Beyond the law, the SHA insists on pre-2027 commitments: an anti-eviction mechanism ensuring no one loses habitual housing without a dignified, affordable, stable alternative in-country, involving government, Institut Nacional d’Habitatge (INH), communes, and social services. It pushes structural reforms to the Urban Leasing Law (LAFU), making indefinite contracts the norm, temporary ones only for objective reasons, regulation of room rentals and shared flats, permanent mediation/arbitration, a property registry linked to a full housing census tracking usage, vacancies, and ownership concentration, plus better coordination among government, INH, and the National Housing Table.

The SHA warns that absent concrete timelines and guarantees, social conflict will escalate from 2027 onward.

This push preceded a major protest on May 16, 2026, in Andorra la Vella, where 1,400-2,000 people marched from the Km 0 roundabout via Carrer de la Unió, Avinguda Meritxell, and Prat de la Creu to the Government roundabout. The peaceful event featured chants like “Espot, tururú, a la Seu te’n vas tu,” “Andorra is my home and I don’t want to leave,” and “Regulate rents,” plus a mass sit-in on Meritxell. SHA spokesperson Rebeca Bonache read a manifesto reiterating demands, while Unió Sindical d’Andorra (USdA) leader Gabriel Ubach called for wage hikes matching housing costs and a 180-degree policy shift. Opposition figures from Concòrdia and Socialdemòcrates attended. Organizers hailed the turnout as historic, vowing sustained pressure ahead of next week’s DA meeting, with potential for more actions if demands are ignored.