The Catalan Government claims that rental prices in Barcelona have dropped by between 8 and 9 per cent thanks to the cap introduced earlier this year. Speaking on Sunday, Minister for Territory Sílvia Paneque defended the measure as proof that regulation works, though she admitted the cap does not yet cover temporary contracts or room rentals.
Paneque told El Periódico that the housing market has not shrunk, citing around 12,000 new rental agreements signed in Catalonia. She conceded, however, that some landlords are shifting properties to temporary lets. To address this, the Government intends to regulate both temporary and room rentals, while mobilising €2 billion through the Catalan Finance Institute to build public housing on 670 plots.
The target is for public housing to reach 15 per cent of the overall market. Paneque insisted that by 2026, 10,000 of the planned 50,000 public homes will already be in use.
Tenant groups remain cautious. Carme Arcarazo of the Tenants’ Union warned that 2026 will be a ‘crucial year’, as some 119,000 five-year contracts signed in 2021 will expire, including 32,500 in Barcelona alone. The union fears mass evictions unless new regulations are accelerated and speculative sales curbed.
The debate highlights the tension between the Government’s positive outlook and the persistent pressures on Barcelona’s renters, who continue to face uncertainty despite the recent price dip.
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