PSOE spokesperson Montse Mínguez faces housing controversy over partner’s rental portfolio
Montse Mínguez, the PSOE’s official spokesperson, has come under scrutiny after reports revealed that her partner, Catalan businessman Sergi Vélez Viola, controls a holding company that rents at least 30 apartments and studios across Spain, with assets valued at €6.2 million. The rental portfolio has been linked to eviction actions, and Vélez also heads two Panama‑based companies. The controversy has prompted criticism from Madrid’s President Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who highlighted that the company has not paid corporate tax for five years, and from the tenant union Sindicato de Inquilinas, which is calling for a nationwide strike against the PSOE.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he has no knowledge of the partner’s assets and redirected criticism toward Ayuso’s housing stance. Within the PSOE, officials have dismissed the allegations as a personal attack while the party prepares for a snap election.
Why it matters
The story raises questions about possible conflicts of interest for a senior party figure shaping national housing policy.
How this story developed
- Oct 5 Spain's housing crisis fuels massive protests and pushes early elections
- Oct 8 The Sánchez government delivered two housing decree‑laws to the Permanent Deputation for review.
- Oct 13 Vélez Viola’s international holdings include two firms in Panama and a domestic portfolio managed through Nest Capital Homes, which rents out a minimum of 30 apartments and studios. The family business also has ties to Argentina and past involvement in a company previously led by his father, José Luis Vélez Burrell. Recent government measures target large landlords, while the couple defends the stricter rules despite their own interests. Eviction proceedings have been recorded against several of the rental units. Montse Mínguez has framed criticism of the business as a personal attack.
- Oct 16 The tenant union announced a nationwide strike aimed at the PSOE over the partner’s rental holdings.
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