On 6 October 2026, the Spanish government adopted two Royal Decree-Laws containing a total of 21 measures to ease pressure on the housing market. One text was already published on 1 October 2026 in the Boletín Oficial del Estado . The aim is to provide tenants with better short-term protection and make it easier to buy a first home, after a similar package previously Congress of Deputies failed.
At the heart of the measures is expanded protection against evictions in clearly defined cases of hardship. In addition, an prórroga extraordinaria is introduced or extended for existing rental contracts, allowing a temporary extension on the same terms. Tax relief is targeted at landlords who cap rents in regulated zones or rent to vulnerable households. For first-time buyers, the package provides a new state-backed financing channel through the Instituto de Crédito Oficial. Details of the terms and eligibility criteria are to be clarified in subsequent regulations.
The decrees also address the role of major market players. Purchases by institutional investors will be further regulated, and independent valuations will be required for certain transactions. The government argues that the measures will ease pressure in particularly strained markets in the short term. At the same time, it stresses that lasting relief cannot be achieved without additional social housing and a broader land and tax policy.
The move comes amid persistently high rents in metropolitan areas and criticism of so-called fondos buitre. Local and regional authorities are expected to take up the new instruments through existing programmes. Experts expect the rules to slow evictions in defined cases and broaden room for negotiation in rental agreements. However, the impact of support for homebuyers will depend on the swift implementation of the ICOscheme and on its being put on a sound legal footing.
Legal challenges are possible, since parts of the interventions in property and contractual relationships have already been controversial. The government points to the social function of property enshrined in the Constitution. La Moncloa announced that it would closely monitor implementation and make adjustments if necessary. Publication in the Boletín Oficial del Estado and the Council of Ministers’ decisions have set implementation in motion; further implementing measures are expected.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).