The Catalan government (Generalitat) has published a list of 131 additional municipalities where they plan to implement rent control regulations. This expansion adds to the 140 municipalities where rent controls have been in place since March.
The official publication of this list was made in the Generalitat’s official bulletin, and the plan now awaits approval from the Ministry of Housing. If approved, the total number of municipalities with rent control would rise to 271, covering 90% of Catalonia’s population.
Rising housing costs
The Generalitat justifies the expansion by pointing to the significant rise in housing costs in recent years. These costs often exceed household incomes. Despite the recent implementation of rent controls, rental prices continue to increase. According to the latest report, rent prices in Catalonia rose by 6.9% between January and March compared to the same period last year, with a 10% increase in Barcelona.
Specific criteria
The proposed expansion targets municipalities with more than 2,000 residents that are not currently under the existing regulations but meet certain criteria according to national legislation. These criteria include families spending more than 30% of their income on housing and basic services, or property prices having risen at least three percentage points above the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the past five years.
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