The union has launched a door-to-door campaign to locate all tenants who have contracts with Alquiler Seguro. The aim of this initiative is to consolidate efforts for a collective legal action and, if the abusive practices sanctioned by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs are not resolved, to call for a rent strike starting in the autumn.
The primary goal is for tenants to recover the amounts they have overpaid. Until this happens, a rent strike will be organized. LAB states that “they will not be able to meet the payment guarantee they offer, and it is likely that the real estate agency will cease to fulfill its obligations to landlords, just as it systematically violates its responsibilities to tenants”.
“"The model is based on abuse and misinformation, and it fails when tenants organize themselves."
Following the sanction from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Alquiler Seguro is obliged to rectify the detected breaches. The company must eliminate all abusive clauses, allowing tenants to claim back any excess payments. LAB's campaign is coordinated with tenant unions in Madrid, Catalonia, and other parts of Spain.
LAB denounces that Alquiler Seguro charged up to four months' rent to access a property, through its Tenant Assistance Service. It also claims that the company retained the additional guarantee, which “should be in the hands of the owner”.
