The State is investigating real estate websites for rental listings in high-demand areas

BarcelonaThe Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030 has launched an investigation to remove rental apartment listings in designated high-demand areas that violate current consumer protection regulations, as announced in a statement this Friday. The targeted listings on major real estate portals will be those offering rental apartments at prices higher than those set by law for large landlords, or those that fail to include the price of the last lease agreement offered for the property, if the owners are private individuals. These listings, according to the ministry headed by Pablo Bustinduy, could be considered violations of consumer protection regulations as "unfair and misleading practices" and, therefore, subject to penalties.

The Customer Service Law, which came into effect on December 27th, requires real estate portals to publish information in online listings for properties located in high-demand areas. This information allows consumers to understand the parameters used to justify the asking price in accordance with the law. These parameters include the price of the last rental agreement under which the property was offered and the applicable rent index for large landlords.

Therefore, the Secretary General for Consumer Affairs and Gambling, Andrés Barragán, recently informed various real estate portals and associations by letter about the legislative changes approved in this law and their responsibilities as intermediaries between landlords and tenants.

This investigation began after the detection of practices that could violate the new regulations and amid a national debate on housing policies, in which disagreements have arisen between the PSOE and Sumar, the party responsible for consumer affairs.