Spain’s government is proposing a “public and reliable database” for housing prices, both for purchase and rent—a move squarely aimed at breaking the dominance of private property portals.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called for this new official resource to counter what he describes as the “opacity” of the current market, and the “dubious reliability” of data provided by leading platforms like Idealista and Fotocasa.
A battle over property market data
The timing of this announcement is no coincidence. In recent months, differences in housing data have led to a very public clash between Spain’s official narrative and the information circulated by private property websites. For example, while the Ministry of Housing cites official figures showing rent prices are falling in so-called high-pressure areas (down 3.7% in certain Catalonian municipalities and 6.4% in Barcelona, according to the Catalan housing institute INCASOL), Idealista claims the opposite: that rental prices are at historic highs and continuing to rise at a double-digit pace.
With such opposing narratives, trusting any single source becomes a challenge not just for policy makers, but for the public trying to make sense of the real estate market.
How would this new database work?
In practice, the government already publishes a wide range of housing data. Relevant agencies provide statistics for both sales and lettings. In fact, the Ministry of Housing recently introduced the State Reference System for Rental Prices (SERPAV), designed to generate market rental prices using tax data on occupied dwellings and their characteristics. This index is now used as the benchmark for rent controls in parts of Catalonia and the Basque Country.
So why a new tool now? The SERPAV’s biggest shortcoming is timing: it relies on tax return data, meaning there’s always a significant lag—the prices reflected can be up to a year old. Moreover, it only covers landlords who are individuals, excluding properties held by companies and organisations.
The government plans to create a database using regional data on rental deposits, as is the practice for INCASOL’s figures. Because landlords are legally required to register deposits, these records should—in theory—provide up-to-date information. However, the system is not foolproof: payments made in cash to avoid regulation can skew the numbers, and deposit data, like all data, can be massaged.
What about house sales prices?
Sales price data is, if anything, even more abundant. The National Institute of Statistics (INE) and the Ministry of Housing both publish regular reports on transaction volumes and price movements. The registrars and notaries also provide monthly updates, including breakdowns by foreign buyers and other details.
In contrast, property portals such as Idealista and Fotocasa base their numbers on listings, rather than final transaction values. This has some drawbacks: offer prices may not reflect final sale or rental prices, and negotiation can—at least in theory—drive those numbers down. Yet in hot markets, discounts are rare, so portals’ numbers tend to track reality more closely. As things stand, the government already has the best database when it comes to home sales and prices.
A monopoly on market information?
Sánchez argues that consolidating the various streams of public data into a single, transparent and up-to-date platform would help end the “monopoly” of the private portals. Critics counter that competing datasets encourage scrutiny, and that portal data (though imperfect) can complement official sources, especially as all major real estate valuation companies (like Tinsa and Sociedad de Tasación) use their own proprietary indices.
The bottom line
This move is about more than just numbers. With housing affordability and the effectiveness of new regulations under intense debate, whoever controls the narrative of house prices and rents wields significant power. The government’s new database, if done right, could help provide clarity—but only if it’s seen as credible, timely, and as nuanced as the marketplace itself. Until then, Spain’s public and private property data will continue to duel for the public’s trust—and for the headlines.
