Spain expands rental “tension zones” to 317 municipalities

Spain rental tension zones housing price caps Santiago de Compostela BOE housing decree affordable housing supply

The State Gazette (BOE) published a decree adding seven new municipalities – Gijón, Avilés, Llanes (including its subsidiary nuclei), Gozón, Cabrales, Santiago de Compostela and Basauri – to Spain’s list of “tension zones” for residential rentals. The addition raises the total number of municipalities subject to the measure to 317, covering about 9.3 million people.

In these zones, every new rental contract must reference the rent of the previous contract or the official reference index, preventing arbitrary increases. The decree also activates a three‑year period during which local administrations must adopt urgent plans to boost the supply of affordable housing. Government delegate Pedro Blanco said the instrument has already produced significant rent declines in other areas, and the Ministry of Housing cited official records as evidence of its effectiveness. Santiago de Compostela becomes the second Galician city, after A Coruña, to receive the designation, triggering the same rent‑control rules and fiscal incentives for landlords.

The expansion is part of a broader national effort to curb rising rents while structural measures to increase affordable housing are prepared, with the aim of reversing the market trend within three years.

Entities: A Coruña · Government delegate Pedro Blanco · Isabel Rodríguez · Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda · Pedro Blanco · Santiago de Compostela · Spanish Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda · State Gazette (BOE)

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 3 SOURCES] Public administrations must implement urgent measures to increase rental housing supply within three years in tension zones. (Housing Law requirements)
[● 2 SOURCES] Government delegate Pedro Blanco said the instrument has shown good results, with rents decreasing significantly in other territories. (existing)
[● 2 SOURCES] Isabel Rodríguez, head of the Ministry of Housing, defended the effectiveness of the measure, citing official records from autonomous communities. (existing)
[● 4 SOURCES] The declaration raises the total number of Spanish municipalities classified as tension zones to 317. (existing)
[● 4 SOURCES] The tension‑zone measure protects 9.3 million people under the housing law. (existing)
[○ 1 SOURCE] The BOE added seven new municipalities—Gijón, Avilés, Llanes, Gozón, Cabrales, Santiago de Compostela and Basauri—to the tension‑zone list. (Spanish Official State Gazette (BOE))
[● 2 SOURCES] The BOE published a resolution declaring Santiago de Compostela as a zona de mercado tensionado for rentals effective Thursday. (Spanish Official State Gazette (BOE))
[● 5 SOURCES] All new rental contracts in tension zones must reference the price of the previous contract and cannot increase rent arbitrarily. (existing)
[● 3 SOURCES] Santiago de Compostela becomes the second Galician city designated as a tension zone, after A Coruña. (new)
[● 7 SOURCES] The BOE added seven new municipalities – Gijón, Avilés, Llanes (including Posada de Llanes, Nueva, Poo, Barro, Celorio), Gozón, Cabrales, Santiago de Compostela and Basauri – as tension zones for rent (new)
[● 3 SOURCES] The decree obliges administrations to implement urgent measures to increase rental housing supply within three years. (new)