Stressed housing market areas (zonas tensionadas) in Spain

Who declares a zone

The state law does not draw the map. Article 18.2 of Law 12/2023 says the regional administration competent in housing declares the zone after a preparatory procedure collecting rent and sale price indicators and household income data, followed by a public information step and a reasoned decision. The declaration needs a report justifying one of two circumstances (article 18.3):

• the average burden of the mortgage or rent in a household budget, plus basic costs and supplies, exceeds 30% of average household income; or
• the purchase or rent price rose, over the five years before the declaration, by at least three percentage points more than the cumulative consumer price index of the region.

The declaration lasts three years and may be extended year by year if the reasons persist (article 18.2.d). Each quarter the ministry publishes a resolution in the BOE listing zones declared in that quarter. Because rules differ by region, a flat in one municipality may be covered while an identical one next door is not.

What changes for a lease

All of these appear in the tenancy law (LAU) and apply only to homes in a zone, within the declaration’s period:

1. Starting rent (article 17.6). The rent of a new contract cannot exceed the last rent of a residential lease in force on the same home in the last five years, after applying that contract’s annual update clause. Only up to 10% more is allowed in four cases: a rehabilitation finished within the previous two years, works that achieve a 30% saving in primary non-renewable energy, accessibility works, or a contract of ten years or more (or with a tenant’s voluntary option to extend for ten years).
2. Large holders (article 17.7). If the landlord is a gran tenedor (more than ten urban residential properties or more than 1,500 m², and a zone may lower the threshold to five properties), the starting rent cannot exceed the maximum price under the state reference system. The same cap may apply to homes with no lease for five years if the ministry resolution says so.
3. Rooms (article 17.9). The rents of all room contracts in one home added together cannot exceed what the whole home would fetch under the same limits.
4. Extension (article 10.3). The tenant may ask for annual extensions of up to three years when the compulsory period ends, and the landlord must accept unless an exception listed in the article applies.
5. Advertising. Under Real Decreto-ley (RDL) 29/2026, article 20, an advertisement must show the reference index and any applicable rent limit when the home is in a zone.
6. Rent updates. A rule specific to this period (final provision 6 of the same decree-law) says that, for annual updates between 8 October 2026 and 31 December 2027, a rent above the reference maximum cannot be increased at all. See rent increases in Spain.

The decree-law provisions are in force from 8 October 2026 and are subject to validation by the Congress of Deputies. The article 17.6, 17.7 and 10.3 texts also show amendments made by it in the consolidated LAU.

Tax effect for landlords

The personal income tax reduction for letting a dwelling uses the same zones: article 23.2 of the income tax law grants higher reductions when the home is in a zone (for instance 90% in a new-let case described in the guide on rental income tax), and says the zones are those in the ministry resolution.

Where zones have been declared (as read)

The BOE resolutions read for this guide list these declarations. They cover the nine quarterly resolutions published from March 2024 to July 2026, each of which lists only the declarations of its own quarter; municipalities can be added or expire, and declarations since July 2026 are not yet in the BOE.

Navarre and the Basque Country appear here as declaring authorities even though they are outside the state housing plan’s aid programmes (see rent aid for young people). A page of the ministry saying how many municipalities are currently covered returned an access error and could not be read. The third-quarter 2026 resolution has not been published in the BOE as of 15 October 2026 (the third-quarter 2025 one came out on 30 October 2025). Check the municipality with the housing department of your region.

The reference price index

The state reference system (SERPAVI) fixes maximum values by census section. A resolution of 16 April 2026, published in the BOE on 20 April, updated its method and data; the cap is set at “el valor superior del rango de valores individualizados” for the home’s location and characteristics, with an online application on the ministry site. That application is on mivau.gob.es, which refused access when we tried to open it, so no per-home value is quoted. Catalonia’s deposit body already asks for the SERPAVI report to be attached to new main-residence contracts signed from 26 March 2026; see the deposit guide.

Which professional to consult

A lawyer registered with a Spanish bar association (colegio de abogados) can check whether a given address is in a zone and what the declaration of your region says. See property lawyers.