Rental market

Barcelona's rental market is increasingly fragmented, making "normal" housing hard to find. According to Amat Immobiliaris' 2025 report, supply is polarising: large flats for high earners and small flats are both on the rise, whilst the most sought-after middle ground – medium-sized flats – is all but disappearing.

Spain’s rental market is under intense pressure, with rising demand, limited supply and growing political scrutiny of tourist accommodation.

Amid a deepening housing crisis and a shortage of public homes, Barcelona City Council is turning to private landlords with grants of up to €30,000 to renovate empty or dilapidated properties – on the condition they are added to the public rental pool. The scheme aims both to upgrade ageing housing stock and to expand the supply of affordable, below-market rentals.

Spain has fired a clear warning shot at the short‑term rental market, after the country confirmed that Airbnb must face a €64 million fine.What has Spain fined Airbnb for?The fine was originally imposed in December 2025 by Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030. It

Understanding how long a residential lease can last in Spain is no longer straightforward – recent legal changes have made it increasingly complex. Following the Housing Rights Act, lease duration now depends on several variables, including whether the landlord is an individual or a company and whether the property is in a high-demand area. As José Ramón Zurdo explains, determining the true length of a contract requires careful analysis of each specific case.

According to the latest data from property portal Idealista, 15% of rental homes in Spain were taken off the market in less than 24 hours during the final quarter of 2025. In some cities, demand is even more intense.

Article 18 of Spain’s Urban Leases Act (LAU) sets out how residential rents can be updated during a tenancy.

Barcelona has once again placed housing at the centre of political and social debate. The City Council’s plan to phase out 10,000 tourist accommodation licences by 2028 coincides with the Ministry of Housing ordering digital platforms to remove thousands of listings that fail to meet the new state registry rules. While both measures aim to curb tourist rentals, the sector questions how far they will ease the housing access crisis.

Andalusia’s new Ley 5/2025 abolishes the regional body that protected tenants’ rental deposits. Tenants now face greater risk of landlords withholding deposits, making refunds harder and potentially increasing legal disputes, especially for long-term and short-term rental agreements.

House prices in Spain could continue rising for the rest of the decade due to a persistent lack of supply. This is the main conclusion of a new real estate report by Bankinter analysts, which updates their forecasts and predicts price growth of 7% this year and 4% by 2027, in line with the quarterly investment report published at the end of last year.

Looking beyond Madrid and Barcelona opens up a very different side of the country.

The Dutch presence in Spain’s housing market has shifted from a niche to a firmly established trend. People from the Netherlands are now a significant force among foreign buyers and tenants in Spain.

Catalonia’s rental housing market came under intense pressure in 2025 due to a widening gap between supply and demand. Experts agree that little will change in 2026. Limited supply, sustained demand and rising rent are set to persist in a market shaped by ongoing regulation, including the designation of high-demand areas that continue to constrain available stock.

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The rental market in Andalusia is undergoing one of its most significant transformations in recent years. The new Andalusian Housing Law (Law 5/2025), which comes into force on 24 January, introduces major changes that will directly affect landlords, tenants and estate agents.

In some parts of Spain, more than 100 families now end up competing for the very same flat.

Whilst everyone, myself included, was distracted preparing for the 2025 end-of-year festivities (Hogmanay in Scotland), the Spanish government was busy, sneakily publishing a new law in Spain’s Official Law Gazette (BOE) on the last day of the year that concerns all landlords of short-term prop

Spain’s long-running boom in tourist apartments is starting to turn.

Nowadays, more and more tenants are looking to rent a room in Spain for various reasons: studying, temporary work, or simply as a first step towards independence.

The Spanish Government will approve a royal decree at its next Cabinet meeting that includes funding to support landlords in cases of unpaid rent, specifically for leases to young people or vulnerable families.

The rental property supply has decreased since the Housing Law came into effect. Interventionist measures and the legal uncertainty faced by landlords have weakened the market. Therefore, many landlords are seeking guarantees from prospective tenants, such as a deposit. Is this legal?

In a context where access to housing is becoming increasingly challenging, rental assistance is essential for vulnerable people.

The share of household income needed to rent a property in Spain stands at 36% of the average family’s total net income, while for buying it is significantly lower at 25%, excluding the savings required to secure financing, according to a study by idealista based on data from Q3 2025.

Soaring rents and fierce competition are pushing many people towards room rentals. On average, 22 prospective tenants compete for each listing on idealista, though demand remains lower than for full homes. Palma (65) and San Sebastián (62) record the most enquiries per room, while among the largest markets, Barcelona (22) edges ahead of Madrid (20).

Germany remains the pace-setter on the buying side, while the US leads the rental hunt.