The government does not learn and intends to regulate the renting of rooms and tourist flats

Not content with the immense bungling of the new traditional rental law, which has only brought a shortage of supply to the shortage that reigned before it came into force in June last year, the Minister of Housing and Urban Planning has once again threatened to intervene in the rental market. This time, the Minister of Housing and Urban Planning said that the task force set up to examine seasonal rentals will also focus on regulating room rentals, which are not fully regulated by the Urban Rental Law. In addition, he said that in collaboration with the autonomous communities and town councils, they intend to intervene in the tourist housing market.

With regard to tourist rental, which does not fall within the direct remit of her ministry, the housing minister announced that she will convene the regional housing and tourism ministers for a joint sectoral conference in the coming months to try to mitigate the impact of tourist housing on the regular rental market.

The minister stresses the importance of the right to housing and refers to European jurisprudence in these situations, urging that this problem, which mainly affects the centres of large cities, be tackled. The Government’s proposal includes regulating the Horizontal Property Law and establishing regulations in neighbourhood associations.

The housing minister had previously announced a meeting this week to address the issue of temporary rentals.

The working group was set up last December and the proposals made during that meeting are being evaluated at the Ministry of Housing for discussion, although it is acknowledged that there has been no further discussion on how to control this type of landlord.

One of the most prominent changes in the housing market in 2023 was the increase in seasonal rentals. This alternative to the traditional long-term lease accounted for 10% of all homes on the market in the third quarter, with a 39% increase in supply between July and September, according to recent data from idealista. The increase in these rentals, which tend to be for short periods, has led to a 12% decrease in the supply of long-term rentals. This is something that all the experts had already predicted, but which the ministry’s “experts” ignored.

The minister also mentioned that they will study how to regulate room rentals, as they are not regulated by the Law of Urban Leases, but through the Civil Code, which leaves people totally unprotected and believes that their security must be guaranteed. Let’s hope that it is not only the security of the tenant, or they will also be burdening the already weak room rental market.

Furthermore, in another interview on La Sexta, the Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, Isabel Rodríguez, stated that she is going to make the most of the State’s competences in housing and called on the autonomous communities to respond jointly to the problem of access to housing.

Rodríguez emphasised that housing is the government’s main concern and priority, apart from continuing in government at any cost, and she is determined to accompany the autonomous communities that wish to tackle the problem and make the most of the state’s powers.

The minister pointed out that it is important not to be resigned and to be demanding, both in their work and as citizens, demanding that the authorities use all available resources to solve the problem.