Five months after the sanctioning regime came into effect, not a single property owner in Catalonia has been fined for breaking the region’s rent cap law. While nearly 600 investigations have been opened, the absence of penalties raises questions about the government’s real commitment to policing rental prices in a market known for unaffordability.
All talk, no teeth (for now)
Despite launching a formal framework in January 2025 designed to fine landlords who exceed the legal rental price thresholds under Spain’s new Housing Law, the Generalitat de Catalunya has yet to issue a single sanction. The figures, revealed this week during a parliamentary session by Minister for Housing Sílvia Paneque, show a sluggish implementation process:
- 568 cases opened,
- 370 still under investigation,
- 198 closed with no sanction issued.
Paneque avoided confirming outright that no fines have been issued, but her department later verified this to media outlet El Periódico.
Not for lack of complaints
The government reports a total of 28 citizen complaints received through its official reporting channel, with 17 still in preliminary legal review. In fact, as early as March, 148 inspections were already in motion—though this trailblazing effort has yet to result in any enforcement that might make landlords think twice.
According to Paneque, efforts so far have focused on reviewing security deposits held at Incasòl (Catalonia’s public housing body), a route sometimes used to bypass maximum rent levels by demanding undeclared “extras” from tenants.
“We’re committed, but these things take time,” said the minister when pressed by Comuns MP Susanna Segovia. “Don’t doubt that we will enforce the law.” Segovia, however, was unconvinced, warning that hollow enforcement would only lead to continued violations.
Inspectors delayed, again
Arguably the most problematic part of the saga is the still-unfulfilled promise to recruit and deploy 60 new housing inspectors. Their job? Proactively enforce the rent cap and fine transgressors.
The deadline for their incorporation had been set for 30 June, as part of a budgetary agreement last year between the PSC-led government and the Comuns. But this week, the government admitted the process would be delayed due to “procedural conflicts.” According to Paneque, Catalan regulations don’t explicitly provide for the creation of a dedicated inspectorate of this nature—an apparent last-minute revelation.
By Tuesday afternoon, however, Paneque revised her own timeline, saying the delay would last only “a few weeks.”
For opposition parties like Comuns, this is a red flag—not a mere bureaucratic hiccup. Segovia warned that failure to meet the inspector deadline would torpedo budget negotiations for 2026. “You’ll need to forget about the 2026 budget if these inspectors aren’t in place before the summer holidays,” she told Paneque, dismissing the reasons for delay as “excuses.”
Symbolic law, invisible enforcement?
The episode reflects a broader criticism often aimed at rent regulation policies in Spain: too much legislative fanfare, not enough follow-through. Without on-the-ground enforcement, rent caps become more symbolic than effective—especially when violations can occur with little fear of reprisal.
Catalonia was the first region to implement Spain’s national rent control framework at scale, with “tense housing markets” like Barcelona falling under its price limitation radar. The law allows for hefty fines—up to €90,000 in extreme cases—but none have yet materialised.
