The Minister of Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition, Sílvia Paneque, highlighted that “prices have remained practically stable in tense municipalities” and that “two years after the declaration of tense zones, rental prices are growing below inflation”. Paneque added that “the consolidation of the Government's policies, combining regulation, fiscal incentives for owners, and new construction driven by the 50,000 Plan, can explain the good quarterly data”. According to the minister, “rents in regulated municipalities are between 8.9% and 10.6% lower than they would have been without regulation; rent containment works”.
From the first quarter of 2024, the last without rent containment, to the second quarter of 2026, accumulated inflation in Catalonia has been +6.8%. In this period, rental prices have decreased by -4.4% in Barcelona city, and in the set of municipalities declared as tense residential market zones, they have varied by +0.7%, remaining practically stable. In contrast, in municipalities not included in the declaration, where average rents are more affordable, prices have increased by +11.0%, above inflation.
If rental prices in the ZMRT had followed the trend from 2021 to 2024, the average rent for new contracts would now be around €1,023 per month, €129 more than the current figure. The average price across Catalonia in the second quarter of 2026 was €877.81 per month; in ZMRT, €894.05; in the rest of the country, €648.22; and in Barcelona city, €1,140.89.
The number of active contracts continues to grow. During the second quarter of 2026, there was a positive balance of +2,512 active regular rental contracts in Catalonia, a 9.9% increase compared to the same quarter in 2025. Minister Paneque pointed out that “the fact that the number of active contracts continues to increase refutes the argument that regulation has reduced supply”. In ZMRT, 24,702 new contracts were signed (+0.2% compared to 2025), while in non-regulated municipalities, there were 1,747 (-0.3%). In Barcelona city, 7,845 new contracts were signed (+5.9%). Since the declaration of ZMRT, the number of active contracts has increased by 23,506.
The reduction in seasonal contracts continues. In the second quarter of 2026, 963 fewer seasonal contracts were registered in Catalonia. New seasonal contracts amounted to 1,891, a 40.5% decrease compared to the same quarter in 2025. Paneque believes this reduction “indicates that rent containment is contributing to moderating prices without negatively affecting the market”. This is the third consecutive quarter of reduction for this type of contract since rent containment began, coinciding with the new regulation approved by the Catalan Parliament.
An analysis of the Real Estate Registry Statistics from the College of Registrars compares Catalonia with territories without regulation. New contract rents are 10.6% and 8.9% lower in tense zones. The purchase price also moderates, growing between 6% and 10% below comparable territories since late 2023. Unlike Madrid, where housing prices have soared by 34.6% since the first quarter of 2023, in Barcelona they have risen by 17.6%. Property sales in Catalonia have increased by 17.9% since the third quarter of 2023, above the national average, and the rented stock continues to grow.
