In recent years, the Spanish rental market has experienced a dramatic shift, where the demand for shared living spaces has surged to unsustainable levels, reaching a point in which up to 22 individuals are vying for each room available for rent, a statistic that reflects not only the growing pressure on urban housing but also the broader social consequences of insufficient housing policies and stagnant wages. This phenomenon is especially pronounced in major cities like Madrid and Barcelona, where rising property prices, an influx of temporary workers, students, and migrants, and the conversion of flats into tourist rentals have squeezed the long-term rental supply to its limits, leading to a competitive and precarious market. For many young people and low-income individuals, renting an entire flat has become unattainable, pushing them towards shared accommodations where the demand vastly outpaces availability, inflating prices even for modest or poorly maintained rooms and often forcing tenants to accept precarious conditions, lack of privacy, or even informal arrangements. A particularly telling example comes from a recent listing in Madrid, where over 500 applications were received within hours for a single room priced at €600, showcasing the desperation and urgency with which people seek stable housing. This imbalance fosters social stress, residential instability, and in some cases, exploitation, as landlords gain unchecked power over increasingly vulnerable tenants. In conclusion, this saturation of the rental room market is not merely a symptom of housing scarcity, but an alarm bell pointing toward deeper systemic inequalities, requiring immediate intervention through public housing initiatives, regulation of tourist rentals, and incentives for affordable long-term letting to restore balance and dignity to the act of securing a place to live.