Pedro Sánchez defends Spain's Housing Law and rental market interventions

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed the implementation of the Housing Law (Ley por el Derecho a la Vivienda), noting that the legislation provides mechanisms to intervene in the rental market. Sánchez claimed that some autonomous communities are engaging in an “ideological boycott” by refusing to apply these tools, whereas regions like Barcelona and parts of the Basque Country have seen rental prices stabilize.

The law allows autonomous communities to declare Stressed Residential Market Zones (ZMRT). In these areas, the rent for a new contract cannot exceed the previous rent in effect for that same property over the last five years. Additionally, for large property owners—defined in Catalonia as those owning more than five properties—communities have the authority to set maximum rent caps within these zones.