More than half of Spain's rental listings are rooms or seasonal lets

Looking for a flat to rent in Spain? Chances are most of what you see isn't a regular long-term flat.

A new study by Consumo (Spain's consumer affairs ministry) and the CSIC (the country's main public research body) shows that 55.8% of rental listings offered either single rooms or seasonal contracts. The data covers the period before the October decree, which tightens the requirements for these types of rentals.

In other words, ordinary long-term flat rentals made up less than half of what was on the market.

This is the latest chapter in a story that has been building for years. Spain's Housing Law, passed by Congress in May 2023, allowed rent caps in stressed areas and stricter rules for the market. Since July 2025, a single national registry has been mandatory for tourist and seasonal rentals, and platforms such as Airbnb must remove unregistered listings.

The October decree is the next step in that direction.