Catalonia approves the long-awaited law regulating seasonal rentals

BarcelonaThe Catalan Parliament approved a law on Thursday to regulate seasonal and room rentals, preventing landlords or rental managers from fraudulently using these methods to circumvent the rent cap, which has been in effect throughout Spain since March 2024. The initiative passed thanks to votes in favor from the PSC, ERC, and Comuns. Junts per Catalunya voted in favor of some articles of the law but rejected the core of the legislation, which had been submitted to the Council of Statutory Guarantees. This body, which endorsed the law almost entirely, questioned the automatic extension of subsidized housing units in high-demand areas, and the final text incorporates several amendments to prevent their expiration.

Nevertheless, the Catalan Parliament has concluded a process that began a year and a half ago with a decree-law from Pere Aragonès's government, supported by the CUP and Comuns, but which the Catalan chamber rejected with votes from the PSC and Junts. This occurred in May 2025, and the process was not resumed until a year later, with an unprecedented agreement between precisely these parties—ERC, Comuns, and CUP—and the new government of Salvador Illa. The three parties would save the decree on urgent housing measures in exchange for the Catalan government's commitment to regulate seasonal rentals. It wasn't until October that the Parliament... unblocked the regulationThe bill has now passed the drafting stage for its final approval as law, which took place this Thursday.

What does the law say?

The new law incorporates legal changes to include in Catalan law the recognition of the inspector role—which is independent of the creation of the already agreed-upon body—and to safeguard social housing. This last point is another demand from the Comuns party, which the government initially resisted, arguing that it would create legal uncertainty. Inspection will now be the most important issue because it will determine the Catalan government's ability to enforce this law. Regarding compliance with the rent cap, regulated by the national housing law, no sanctions have yet been imposed a year and a half after its entry into force. However, the government has 30 open cases. Furthermore, in accordance with the agreement with the government, the final text makes it clear that leases of a property for residential use are subject to the housing law, regardless of the contract's duration (therefore, this also includes leases to students or workers relocating for work). Only vacation rentals or rentals for recreational purposes will be excluded, and these must be documented. Furthermore, the total price paid by all tenants in an apartment rented by rooms cannot exceed the maximum price that would apply if the entire apartment were rented.