Spanish Property Insight

The flaws at the heart of the government’s housing policy

Mark Stücklin — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 10:10:30 +0000

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez recently appeared on television defending rent controls and greater government intervention in Spain’s housing market. His interview on La Revuelta brought several questionable arguments and important omissions into focus. Here’s a closer look. With Spain heading towards a general election on 29 November, Sánchez is seeking to make housing a […]

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How much value does a garden add to a property?

Mark Stücklin — Sat, 24 Oct 2026 09:31:41 +0000

A garden can add considerable value to a home in Spain, but how much depends on where the property is, how big the garden is, and how useful it is. Bigger is not always better, and the first few square metres can sometimes be worth much more than the last few hundred. As a rough […]

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The terrace problem with notary property price statistics

Mark Stücklin — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 11:29:14 +0000

Spain’s new notary statistics portal is a big step forward in property market transparency, but its price-per-square-metre figures come with a catch for homes with terraces. Understanding how terraces are treated is essential if you want to make sense of the numbers. The new Notarial Statistical Portal is one of the most useful developments in […]

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Spain’s new 10pc VAT on holiday lets: What owners need to know

Mark Stücklin — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 09:40:47 +0000

Spain has introduced a new 10% VAT on short-term property lettings that could affect thousands of holiday-home owners, including those who only rent out their properties occasionally. The legislation is already in force, but parliamentary approval is still pending and important practical questions remain unanswered. What do the new rules say? The measure forms part […]

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Foreign demand for Spanish property falls sharply in first half of 2026

Mark Stücklin — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 10:33:04 +0000

Foreign demand for property in Spain fell by 13% in the first half of 2026, with second-home buyers leading the decline and every major foreign market contracting together for the first time. The latest figures from the notaries confirm that the international market is losing momentum. The latest figures from the Association of Spanish Notaries […]

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Spain’s housing decrees trigger exodus from rental market, agents warn

Mark Stücklin — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 05:34:11 +0000

The first evidence of how landlords are reacting to Spain’s controversial new housing decrees suggests that thousands of homes are already being withdrawn from the long-term rental market, making the housing shortage worse rather than better. According to a survey by the National Federation of Estate Agent Associations (FAI), almost 6,000 rental transactions have been […]

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Barcelona plans 150% property tax increase on tourist flats ahead of 2028 ban

Mark Stücklin — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 10:14:30 +0000

Barcelona City Council has approved plans to increase property taxes by up to 150% on owners with multiple tourist rental licences, adding another financial burden to a sector already facing extinction in 2028. Barcelona City Council’s Economy and Finance Committee has approved a proposal to increase the annual property tax (IBI) on tourist rental properties, […]

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Radical housing decrees return as housing becomes election battleground

Mark Stücklin — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:48:00 +0000

Spain’s controversial housing decrees are back, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called a snap general election for 29 November, gambling that public anger over housing will save his government. Just three days after Parliament rejected the government’s two emergency housing decrees on Friday 2 October, Sánchez announced a snap general election. His government then […]

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Foreign demand falls sharply as Spanish property market shifts down a gear

Mark Stücklin — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 15:44:20 +0000

Foreign buyers purchased 13% fewer homes in Spain in the first half of 2026, with holiday-home demand falling even faster. But after a record-breaking 2025, the latest figures suggest a market cooling down rather than falling off a cliff. The latest figures from Spain’s Housing Ministry show that 353,557 homes were sold in the first […]

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Spanish housing starts rise 11pc, but nowhere near enough to solve the housing crisis

Mark Stücklin — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 09:13:39 +0000

New government figures show housing starts rising to their highest level in a decade, but Spain is still building nowhere near enough homes, especially in the places where they are most desperately needed. The latest figures from the Ministry of Housing show that construction started on 67,564 new homes in the first half of 2026, […]

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