Landlords across Catalonia have banded together to form a new association, Som Habitatge (We are Housing), claiming their voices have been ignored in the housing debate and warning that the region’s rental market is on the brink of collapse due to policy failures and legal uncertainty.
Launched in Barcelona this week, Som Habitatge: Unió de Propietaris de Catalunya, aims to represent residential landlords across the region. It brings together over 30,000 rental properties under one umbrella and represents both major housing owners and small-scale landlords.
According to its president, lawyer Núria Garrido, the group was created to provide a “committed and visible voice” for landlords, who she says have been “criminalised” by recent housing regulations and left out of the public conversation.
“This isn’t just about landlords; it’s about restoring stability to the entire rental market,” said Garrido in a presentation at the Ateneu Barcelonès. “Both tenants and owners are victims of an administration that is failing in its duties.”
‘Alarming stress’ on Catalonia’s rental supply
The association argues that recent laws—such as rent caps based on the state’s price index and protections for vulnerable tenants—have led to a sharp decline in available rental stock. Som Habitatge claims these measures are discouraging owners from offering homes for long-term let and pushing the market toward an unsustainable imbalance between supply and demand.
A recent figure cited shows 61 applicants now compete for every rental listing in Barcelona—a stark reflection of a market choking under pressure.
Garrido highlighted judicial delays, ineffective responses to illegal occupation, and regulatory “confusion” as some of the key issues eroding landlord confidence. “The rental market in Catalonia is on the verge of collapse, and the authorities are nowhere to be seen,” she warned. “Instead of addressing these core challenges, they distract the public with misleading narratives.”
Call for legal certainty and fiscal reform
Som Habitatge is demanding “urgent and effective” political action. Foremost on their list is improving legal security for landlords, including faster eviction proceedings, more reliable enforcement against tenants in breach of contract, and greater protection from squatting.
They also call for public authorities—not landlords—to bear the cost of housing vulnerable tenants, challenging the assumption that property owners must absorb the economic and legal risks.
Additionally, the association advocates for fiscal measures to encourage home ownership, particularly for young people, and for policies that promote investment in property rehabilitation.
Seeking a more ‘balanced’ housing debate
While some critics may see the emergence of Som Habitatge as an attempt to resist regulation, the group insists its mission is constructive. “We want to be part of the solution, not the problem,” Garrido stressed.
Whether that message resonates with tenants’ associations and pro-tenant political parties remains to be seen. The debate over housing in Catalonia is fast becoming more polarised—pitting social protections and affordability against the concerns of property owners who say the current model is economically and legally unsustainable.
In a region already grappling with low availability, sky-high demand, and political pressure to deliver short-term fixes, the launch of Som Habitatge adds a new voice—and a new layer of tension—to Catalonia’s increasingly complex housing puzzle.
