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SubscribeOn January 1, 2026, Act 11/2025 of December 29, on measures relating to housing and urban planning ("Act 11/2025"), entered into force. It introduced important developments for seasonal and room rentals, and for transfers of housing owned by legal entities considered large property holders in Catalonia.
Seasonal rentals
Act 11/2025 qualifies seasonal rentals as any rental agreement entered into for the following purposes: (i) professional; (ii) work; (iii) study; (iv) health care or medical assistance; (v) temporary situations awaiting the delivery of a house or the return to primary residence; and (vi) other analogous uses intended to satisfy the housing needs of the tenant regardless of its duration.
Seasonal rentals—these must state and prove the contract’s purpose—will be subject to leasing rules involving: establishing and updating rent, increase in rent for improvements, allocation of general expenses and individual services, and deposits and guarantees provided under the Urban Leases Act. Therefore, from January 1, 2026, seasonal rentals located within strained housing market areas are subject to the same rent control limits as other rental properties.
Act 11/2025 excludes rental properties used exclusively for recreational, holiday and leisurely purposes from the rules mentioned. These contracts must state the purpose of the contract and the tenant’s permanent residence.
Room rentals
Act 11/2025 regulates room rental agreements. Specifically, it (i) defines a room rental agreement as a contract under which the lessor assigns the lessee exclusive use of a room and the right to use other rooms or common areas of the property in exchange for a price; and (ii) establishes that the total rent from the rooms in a property located in a strained housing market area cannot exceed the maximum rent applicable to a single residential lease in that property.
Right of redemption and pre-emption
Decree-Law 2/2025, of February 25 ("Decree-Law 2/2025"), which came into force on February 27, 2025, gave the Catalan government the right of redemption and pre-emption regarding the transfer of housing properties located in strained housing market areas owned by legal entities considered large property holders that are registered in the Registry of Large Property Holders —see Post | Mandatory registry of large property holders and new rights of pre-emption and refusal—.
Act 11/2025 maintains this right but includes, as exceptions, the (i) transfer of newly built housing or properties that have undergone major refurbishment during the year following issuance of the certificate of fitness for occupation; and (ii) first transfer of newly built housing that takes place between companies within the same corporate group that have the same corporate purpose or carry out similar real estate activities.
Housing acquired through exercising the rights of redemption and pre-emption must be classified permanently as subsidized housing under the general regime or an equivalent category.
Until the regulations governing the Registry of Large Property Holders[1] come into force, legal entities wishing to transfer housing located in strained housing market areas must declare if they are large property holders. If they declare that they are not large property holders, they must provide a registry certificate stating the number of properties they own at the time of granting the sales deed.
For more information, please contact our specialists through the Knowledge and Innovation Area.
[1] Since the entry into force of Decree-Law 2/2025, legal entities considered large property holders are obliged to inform the Catalan Housing Agency of the number of properties they own, even though the governing regulations of the Registry of Large Property Holders have not been approved.
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