Catalonia Expands Rent Caps: New Limits Now Apply to Seasonal and Room Rentals

The new decree extends price restrictions to short-term and shared rentals while long-term rental supply continues to shrink across Catalonia.

The Catalan government has approved a new decree law that broadens existing rental price caps to include both seasonal leases and room rentals. This means that even temporary or shared housing contracts must now follow the same rules as long-term residential rentals—especially in areas classified as “tense housing markets.” 

While the stated goal is to make housing more accessible, experts in the sector warn that this kind of intervention could be having the opposite effect: a continued and alarming drop in available rental homes.

“The intentions are good,” says Katya Moshnikova, Senior Adviser at Urbane International Real Estate. “But the regulation focuses too heavily on the assumption that landlords are trying to dodge the law. It fails to consider that many need rental income to pay for their properties. On top of that, the official rental index isn’t based on a real market calculation. For exampe, a perfectly renovated flat next to an apartment that is unrefurbished of the same size can only rent for say €100 more. That’s not fair or realistic.”

What changes with this new regulation?

The decree states that any rental intended to meet housing needs—even if short-term—must follow the same rules as long-term contracts. Only leases for tourist or recreational use are exempt, provided this purpose is clearly stated in the agreement. This can of course lead to difficulties in interpreting exactly what constitutes proof of a lease based on tourim or recreational uses. The law also contemplates "Cultural" reasons. 

For room rentals, the total rent collected in one property cannot exceed the legal cap for the entire dwelling. Additionally, any contract containing misleading or imbalanced clauses will be considered fraudulent.

Rental supply continues to shrink

According to data from idealista, the number of available long-term rentals in Barcelona fell by 26% year-over-year as of late 2024, while seasonal rentals rose by 31%. Between 2020 and 2025, the total long-term rental stock dropped by 58.1%.

Similar patterns are seen across Catalonia. Seasonal rentals increased by 167% in Girona, 57% in Tarragona, and 82% in Lleida. Meanwhile, long-term rental availability continues to decline in all three cities.

Room rental prices at an all-time high

Barcelona now holds the title of Spain’s most expensive city for room rentals, with the average price reaching €620/month, overtaking Madrid (€565). The city also accounts for 14% of Spain’s total room rental listings.

Other measures included in the decree

The regulation also introduces changes affecting affordable housing (VPO), including mandatory extensions of protected status in tense zones. It strengthens the government’s right of first refusal on properties held by large landlords and allocates tenant security deposits held by Incasòl toward the construction of new public rental housing.

The Catalan government maintains that the new measures are intended to ensure sufficient and affordable housing, correct market imbalances, and improve transparency. However, current data points to a rapidly shrinking rental supply—suggesting that these well-intentioned policies may be worsening the very crisis they aim to fix.