Granollers and other Catalan cities are leaving the list of regulated rental zones. Agencies report a lack of available flats, while new limits arrive in Tordera. Authorities and property experts warn of a deepening rental crisis.
Granollers, a city of 66,000 in Vallès Oriental, is set to exit Catalonia’s list of regulated rental zones, ending the application of price caps on new leases. The change, driven by improved housing access indicators, comes as local estate agents report a near-total absence of rental properties. In the city center, agencies display only properties for sale, with rental offers virtually disappearing from shop windows.
The Catalan government has updated its list of so-called “tensioned” housing markets, where urgent measures such as rent caps can be enforced. Of the 140 municipalities initially included, 22—among them Granollers, Lleida, Figueres, and Mollet del Vallès—will lose this status from March, while 53 new areas will be added. The criteria for inclusion remain strict: either households must spend over 30% of income on housing costs, or prices must have risen at least three points above inflation over five years. If conditions improve, the restrictions are lifted.
Despite the official improvement, local agencies describe a worsening reality. Raimy Balderrama, who runs Mirai Homes, says she has signed just one rental contract in the past year. Another agent, requesting anonymity, notes that “there are no rentals to cap.” The few available flats are priced well above what most residents can afford, with new builds starting at €1,200 per month—far from the €700 range most clients seek. According to Incasòl, the average rent in Granollers is now €825.81, up 4% in a year and 22% over five years.
The city council, led by the PSC, credits the exit from the regulated list to local policies and the effect of rent caps, citing expanded housing programs and new protected developments. However, agents argue that regulation has backfired, pushing owners to sell rather than rent and driving investors away. The result, they say, is a shrinking rental market and growing queues of would-be tenants unable to find homes.
In Tordera, a town of 19,000 in Maresme, the situation is similar but moving in the opposite direction. From March, Tordera will be classified as a tensioned zone, allowing rent caps to be imposed. Local agencies report that properties are snapped up within minutes, if they appear at all. The mayor, Elisabet Megias (Junts per Tordera), supports the idea of limits but stresses that the real problem is the lack of supply. She points to over 100 vacant and occupied flats owned by banks and investment funds, many linked to criminal activity, which remain unavailable for regular rental. The municipality has struggled to reclaim these properties for social housing, facing legal and practical obstacles.
Data from the Catalan Association of Real Estate Agents (API) shows that while rent increases slowed to 3.2% between 2023 and 2025, the number of new contracts fell by nearly 20%. Tenant groups, meanwhile, criticize the removal of price controls, arguing that it leaves renters exposed to sudden hikes and does not reflect the ongoing housing shortage. The regional government disputes claims of a shrinking market, citing over 3,000 new leases in the first quarter of the year, but its own economic department acknowledges a shift toward room rentals and tourist lets.
Spain’s housing market has faced persistent pressure in recent years, especially in Catalonia’s urban and commuter areas. National and regional authorities have experimented with various interventions, including rent caps, subsidies, and new construction, but results remain mixed. The debate over regulation versus market incentives continues, with both sides pointing to data that supports their case. As more municipalities enter or exit the list of regulated zones, the coming year will test whether these measures can stabilize prices or further reduce the supply of affordable rentals.
