Barcelona residents and tenants could see stronger legal backing for rules affecting temporary and room rentals if Congress validates two state housing decrees on Friday, 2 October. The Council of Ministers approved the measures on Tuesday, 29 September, and the Generalitat expects them to complement Catalonia’s existing housing policy.

Sílvia Paneque, Catalonia’s Minister for Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition and the Generalitat’s spokesperson, said the additional state regulation could help where Catalan measures face constitutional challenges over the division of powers between administrations.

“It is absolutely necessary for some of the policies we have advanced from Catalonia to also have this umbrella at state level,” Paneque said after Tuesday’s Consell Executiu, the Generalitat’s weekly cabinet meeting.

Paneque said rules on temporary rental use are already covered by powers exercised by the Generalitat. The proposed state measures would add a nationwide legal framework rather than replace those Catalan rules.

What Congress will decide on Friday

According to reporting on the decrees’ approval, Congress will debate and vote on the two measures separately on Friday. They need parliamentary validation to remain in force.

  • One decree provides for the automatic renewal of rental contracts.
  • The other includes regulation of temporary and room rentals.
  • The package also extends protection against evictions until 2030.
  • It provides a two-year extension for current rental contracts ending before 31 December 2028.

For tenants in Catalonia, Friday’s vote is the immediate next step: it will determine whether the state measures, including the regulation of temporary and room lets, continue alongside the Generalitat’s existing housing rules.

Generalitat cites Catalonia’s earlier measures

Paneque said the Generalitat and the Spanish government shared housing priorities and proposals. She added that Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez had frequently cited Catalonia as the first autonomous community to apply Spain’s state Housing Law.

The Generalitat’s existing Territorial Sectoral Housing Plan, in force since 1 January 2024, sets a long-term target for municipalities classified as having strong, evidenced housing demand: social-policy housing should reach 15% of their main homes within 20 years. The plan also aims to raise social rented housing to 7% of Catalonia’s main housing stock.

More Barcelona coverage on Barna.News: Housing Decree Talks Stall Ahead of Tuesday Vote and Barcelona council to vote on 2027 taxes on Friday.

Primary sources: governobert.gencat.cat, habitatge.gencat.cat, eapc.bibliotecadigital.gencat.cat. Reported by abc.es, ultimahora.es, europapress.es, infobae.com, El Imparcial, Europa Press Barcelona.