NEARLY 23,000 rental properties are set to disappear from the Spanish market this year, a new report has warned, piling even more pressure on tenants as rents continue to soar nationwide.
The latest figures from Spain’s rental observatory show that 22,927 homes are expected to leave the long-term rental market in 2026 – far more than previously predicted.
The report says landlords are continuing to abandon traditional rentals in favour of short-term and holiday lets, while others are withdrawing from the market altogether.
As a result, Spain is expected to end 2026 with 660,993 rental properties available – around 3.2% fewer than at the end of 2025 and well short of demand.
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Catalonia is forecast to be one of the worst-hit regions, with the number of rental properties expected to fall by 7.65%, leaving fewer than 95,000 homes available.
By contrast, the Madrid region is expected to maintain around 150,000 rental properties, retaining its position as Spain’s largest rental market.
According to the report, the difference largely comes down to housing policy. Catalonia has introduced rent controls, while Madrid has not, and researchers argue this has prompted more landlords in Catalonia to leave the long-term rental market.
Similar trends are expected in parts of the Basque Country and Galicia’s A Coruña, where rent regulation has also been introduced in some municipalities. Rental stock in the northern Spanish cities is forecast to fall by 16.6% and 12.4% respectively.
While the number of homes available continues to shrink, rents are still heading in the opposite direction, experts warn.
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The average monthly rent in Spain is forecast to reach €1,211 by the end of 2026, up 2.28% on the previous year, according to the report.
Demand, meanwhile, has climbed to its highest level on record, with an average of 143 prospective tenants expressing interest in every rental property within just 10 days of it being advertised.
House prices are also approaching levels not seen since the property boom before the 2008 financial crisis, although analysts at Spanish think tank Funcas insist today’s market bears little resemblance to the housing bubble that burst almost two decades ago.
Meanwhile, a separate study by property portal Pisos.com found that having €30,000 saved for a deposit is no longer enough to buy a home in any of Spain’s provincial capitals.
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