Vote expected on 12 November: Spain's parliament decides on the housing decrees. Owners' groups say many owners are holding flats back until then. Call their bluff. Don't be bullied into submission. Don't be the lever.

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Veí a VeíFair housing in Barcelona
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Everything you need to share, and where to get help.

Free to copy, print and post. Not legal advice; every case is different.

Downloads

The full guide, the poster, and the organizing guide. Print them, send them, put them up in your building.

PDF guideCracking the fake holiday leaseHow to stay lawfully, build your file, and what owners may not do.Poster: PDF and imageYour “holiday” lease may not be legalOne page to print, post and share.PDF guideOrganize your building and neighbourhoodFind your local group, welcome newcomers and act together.Images to postCards for Instagram and FacebookReady to post, including the pledge in six languages.Stickers to printStickers for expat spacesBlunt messages for the bars, coworkings and groups where expats gather.Poster: PDF and imageHow we got hereThe timeline on one page: who decided each step.

Also: the poster as an image (PNG)

The poster: Your holiday lease may not be legal, with the key facts and where to get help

Images to post

Sized for Instagram and Facebook (1080 × 1350). Open an image and save it, then post it with one of the texts below.

No deixarem que ens facin servir contra els nostres veïns i veïnes.Pledge, Català No dejaremos que nos usen contra nuestros vecinos y vecinas.Pledge, Español We will not be used against our neighbours.Pledge, English Nous ne nous laisserons pas utiliser contre nos voisins.Pledge, Français Wir lassen uns nicht gegen unsere Nachbarn benutzen.Pledge, Deutsch Мы не позволим использовать нас против наших соседей.Pledge, Русский Your holiday lease may not be legal.Holiday lease facts 72% of Barcelona's rental listings were temporary.72% temporary Mateixa ciutat. Mateixos drets. Mateixa lluita.Same fight, Català Your neighbour is not your enemy.Not your enemy Cada habitatge d'aquesta ciutat és una decisió.For owners, Català L'habitatge no és un negoci, és un dret.Bring your keys 12 November: don't be the lever.Before 12 November

Posts to copy

Short texts for expat groups, neighbourhood chats and social media. Copy, paste, and add one of the images above.

For expat groups: the blunt version

The main pages say "newcomers". These say "expats", on purpose, so the people in those groups know this is about them: they are being used, overcharged and blamed, they have rights, and they can stand with locals.

Stickers

Fifteen stickers, 90 × 60 mm, for the bars, coworkings, language schools and noticeboards where expats gather. The sheet is two A4 pages: eight blunt stickers, then "Expats and locals unite", "Get it in writing" and "We know. We stay." in English, Catalan and Spanish. That last one is for the owners and agents who are betting you don't know the law: put it where they'll see it too. Print on A4 sticker paper, or send the images to a print shop (300 dpi).

Download the sticker sheet (PDF)

Expats and locals unite for fair housing.Unite, EnglishExpats i veïns, units per un habitatge just.Unite, CatalàExpats y vecinos, unidos por una vivienda justa.Unite, EspañolExpats stand with locals.Stand with localsExpats say no to being used against locals.Say noExpats: know your rights. Don't be exploited.Know your rightsExpats are being tricked into paying up to double.Paying up to doubleExpats are being funnelled into illegal holiday leases.FunnelledYou're not on holiday. You live here.Not on holidayYour visa panic is their business model.Visa panicSigned a holiday lease? You still have rights.Still have rightsAsked for a reason you're only temporary? Get it in writing.Get it in writingWe know. We stay.We know, EnglishHo sabem. Ens quedem.Ho sabem, CatalàLo sabemos. Nos quedamos.Lo sabemos, Español

Images to post

Standing up for your rights is not a crime.Your papers, EnglishDefender tus derechos no es un delito.Tus papeles, EspañolYou don't have to face this alone. Join the We Stay group.Join the group, EnglishNo tienes que enfrentarte a esto solo. Únete al grupo Nos Quedamos.Únete al grupo, EspañolWhen we join hands, there is no us versus them. Expats and locals unite for fair housing.Join hands, EnglishQuan ens donem la mà, no hi ha nosaltres contra ells. Expats i veïns, units per un habitatge just.Join hands, CatalàCuando nos damos la mano, no hay nosotros contra ellos. Expats y vecinos, unidos por una vivienda justa.Join hands, EspañolExpats stand with locals.Stand with localsExpats say no to being used against locals.Say noKnow your rights. Don't be exploited.Know your rightsExpats are being tricked into paying up to double.Paying up to doubleExpats are being funnelled into illegal holiday leases.FunnelledYour visa panic is their business model.Visa panicThey'll ask for your reason to be temporary. Get it in writing.Get it in writingWe know. We stay. A fake holiday lease on someone's home can become a regular lease.We know, EnglishHo sabem. Ens quedem.Ho sabem, CatalàLo sabemos. Nos quedamos.Lo sabemos, Español

Every figure on these images carries its source. "Up to double" is based on a 30 m² flat in Gràcia listed at €1,550 a month with a legal cap of €700 (3Cat, March 2024).

Posts to copy

For estate agents: together, we can refuse.

For agents' group chats, office noticeboards and the cafés near the agencies. Written for agents, not against them: most aren't the ones getting rich from this, and many can see what it's doing to the people they show round.

Stickers

Six stickers, 90 × 60 mm, in English, Catalan and Spanish, on the first page of the sheet. The second page is for owners.

Download the agents' sticker sheet (PDF) The agents' page

Agents say no to illegal leases.Say no, EnglishAgents: together we can refuse.Together, EnglishEls agents diuen no als lloguers il·legals.Diuen no, CatalàAgents: junts ens hi podem negar.Junts, CatalàLos agentes dicen no a los alquileres ilegales.Dicen no, EspañolAgentes: juntos podemos negarnos.Juntos, Español

Images to post

From agents, to agents: together, we can refuse.Together, EnglishAgents say no to illegal leases.Say no, EnglishD'agents, per a agents: junts, ens hi podem negar.Junts, CatalàEls agents diuen no als lloguers il·legals.Diuen no, CatalàDe agentes, para agentes: juntos, podemos negarnos.Juntos, EspañolLos agentes dicen no a los alquileres ilegales.Dicen no, Español

Agents who take part in fraudulent temporary contracts can be sanctioned (Don Porqué), and a false lease purpose can be fined up to €900,000 (idealista).

Posts to copy

For owners: there's a loophole in the loophole.

For owners' associations, building chats and anyone with a flat to let. The fake "holiday" lease is sold as the safe option. It can be turned into a regular lease, and tenants are organizing to do it. Tenant law protects everyone.

Stickers

Three stickers, in English, Catalan and Spanish, on the second page of the agents' sheet.

Download the sheet (PDF, page 2) The owners' page

There's a loophole in the loophole.Loophole, EnglishHi ha un forat en el forat.Forat, CatalàHay un agujero en el agujero.Agujero, Español

Images to post

To Barcelona's owners: there's a loophole in the loophole.Loophole, EnglishAls propietaris de Barcelona: hi ha un forat en el forat.Forat, CatalàA los propietarios de Barcelona: hay un agujero en el agujero.Agujero, EspañolWhat future are you building for your children? A thriving city is a city where families can afford to live.Future, EnglishQuin futur estàs construint per als teus fills?Futur, Català¿Qué futuro estás construyendo para tus hijos?Futuro, Español

Courts have reclassified disguised temporary leases (OCU); since January the law presumes the flat is the tenant's home if no temporary reason is on file (idealista); a housing lease can be extended up to 5 or 7 years (OCU).

Posts to copy

This shortage is being made. Say so.

For the next time someone says "there just aren't enough flats", or "leave it to the market". The full argument, with every source, is on the myths page.

Stickers

Nine stickers, 90 × 60 mm, in English, Catalan and Spanish: "This shortage is being made", "No market ever made itself fair", and "Fair rent is good for business" for shop windows. The sheet is two A4 pages.

Download the sticker sheet (PDF) Timeline poster, English (PDF) Català Español

This shortage is being made.Made, EnglishAquesta escassetat és fabricada.Fabricada, CatalàEsta escasez es fabricada.Fabricada, EspañolNo market ever made itself fair.Free market, EnglishCap mercat no s'ha fet just tot sol.Lliure mercat, CatalàNingún mercado se ha vuelto justo solo.Libre mercado, EspañolFair rent is good for business.Shop local, EnglishUn lloguer just és bo per al comerç.Comerç, CatalàUn alquiler justo es bueno para el comercio.Comercio, Español

Images to post

How we got here: a timeline from 2010 to now.Timeline, EnglishCom hi hem arribat: una cronologia del 2010 fins ara.Cronologia, CatalàCómo llegamos aquí: una cronología de 2010 a hoy.Cronología, EspañolThis shortage is being made.Made, EnglishAquesta escassetat és fabricada.Fabricada, CatalàEsta escasez es fabricada.Fabricada, EspañolNo market ever made itself fair. 1486, 1919, now.Free market, EnglishCap mercat no s'ha fet just tot sol. 1486, 1919, ara.Lliure mercat, CatalàNingún mercado se ha vuelto justo por sí solo. 1486, 1919, ahora.Libre mercado, EspañolA community that can afford its rent can afford to shop local.Shop local, EnglishUna comunitat que pot pagar el lloguer pot comprar al barri.Comprar al barri, CatalàUna comunidad que puede pagar el alquiler puede comprar en el barrio.Comprar en el barrio, Español

Sources: €1,550 listed against a €700 cap (3Cat); 2% of landlords, 36% of rentals (El Salto); 72% temporary (OCU); +62% after the cap (Ara); flats held back until the vote (Público); the remences and the Sentència de Guadalupe (Wikipedia, Wikipedia); La Canadenca and the eight-hour day (3Cat).

Posts to copy

The way forward: we buy our own rent control.

No more asking. Owners have two choices: rent fairly, or sell to the people who will. Show everyone the co-op plan and the glass fund, and ask them to add their promise. The full plan, with every source, is on the thriving city page.

Images to post

Two choices: rent fairly, or sell to us.Two choices, EnglishDues opcions: llogar just, o vendre'ns-la.Dues opcions, CatalàDos opciones: alquilar justo, o vendérnosla.Dos opciones, EspañolBuy our own rent control.Co-op, EnglishComprem el nostre control del lloguer.Cooperativa, CatalàCompremos nuestro control del alquiler.Cooperativa, Español

Sources: €2 million in 13 hours (El Salto); Sostre Cívic members' capital (Sostre Cívic); co-ops in Barcelona (3Cat 2023, 3Cat 2025).

Posts to copy

Organize your building and your barri

The short version of the organizing guide. One stairwell at a time.

  1. Start with your stairwell. Knock on doors, introduce yourself, swap numbers. Locals and newcomers, every door.
  2. Make a building group in a messaging app, with a simple rule: respect, and no one's private details shared outside it.
  3. Map what's happening. Which flats are on "temporary" or "holiday" leases? Same owner, same agency? When do the leases end?
  4. Hold a first meeting in the lobby, a bar or the local casal. Pair anyone who doesn't speak Catalan or Spanish yet with someone who does.
  5. Join the bigger union. Contact the Sindicat de Llogateres or your neighbourhood housing union, and your associació de veïns.
  6. Pair newcomers with neighbour guides for the padró, the health centre, the school and the first assembly. Locals can apply to be a guide.
  7. Act together. Joint letters to an owner, people at each other's hearings, the whole building at the march.
  8. Keep it fair and safe. Target practices and companies, never a private person's home or family. Don't publish anyone's personal details.
  9. Celebrate together. A sopar popular in the street, the festa major, a castell. Community is the point, not just the means.

Where to get help

Start with a housing office: free, in every district, with legal advice for tenants and owners.

Advice

Barcelona housing offices

Free legal advice and mediation, one office per district, run by the city and the Generalitat.

habitatge.barcelona

Bar Association (ICAB): free guidance

First legal guidance on housing, including if you've received court papers. Legal aid depends on income.

icab.es

OCU explainers (Spanish)

Plain-language guides to the new rules on temporary rentals.

ocu.org

Organize

Sindicat de Llogateres

Catalonia's tenants' union, founded in 2018. Assemblies, the Ens Quedem campaign, and the marches of 2024 and 2025.

Sindicat de Llogateres

FAVB

The federation of more than a hundred Barcelona neighbourhood associations, since 1972.

About the FAVB

Check and report

Legal rent calculator

The Generalitat's rent-price portal; you need the address or cadastral reference.

habitatge.gencat.cat/preuslloguer

National reference index

The Ministry of Housing's rent index (SERPAVI), Spain-wide.

serpavi.mivau.gob.es

Deposit registry

INCASÒL holds deposits and any temporary reason filed with them.

incasol.gencat.cat

Report a breach

Rent over the cap or a false temporary purpose, for contracts signed since 30 January 2025.

tramits.gencat.cat

Register at your address (padró)

Free; about a week; a lease of three months or more.

ajuntament.barcelona.cat/tramits

For owners

Borsa d'Habitatge de Lloguer

The city's rental pool: guaranteed rent collection, insurance, a 50% property-tax rebate, renovation grants by call.

City leaflet (Catalan)

Avalloguer

INCASÒL insurance covering unpaid rent on regular housing leases, subject to conditions.

incasol.gencat.cat

Language and community

Learn Catalan (CPNL)

Courses across Barcelona, and Voluntariat per la llengua: conversation pairs with a local volunteer.

cpnl.cat

La Borda

A cooperative in Sants, on city land, where homes can't be sold or re-let for profit.

Read about La Borda

Key dates

The loophole moved each time a rule closed it: from tourist flats, to temporary leases, to the "holiday" label. For the whole story, and who decided each step, see How we got here.

DateWhat happensSource
29 Nov 2026General electionDemócrata
15 Nov 2026RDL 28/2026 (longer lease extensions) takes effect, only if validatedOCU
13 Nov 2026Legal deadline to validate both national decreesEl Riu
12 Nov 2026Expected vote on both decrees in parliament's standing committeeLa Región
11 Nov 2026General strike called: "wages, housing, prices"elEconomista
8 Oct 2026RDL 29/2026 in force, provisionally: temporary leases need a real, provable reason across SpainOCU
Jul 2026First three rent-cap fines in Catalonia; 654 cases openidealista
17 Mar 2026OCU counts 72% temporary listings in BarcelonaOCU
1 Jan 2026Llei 11/2025: temporary leases under the rent cap; only holiday and leisure exemptidealista
30 Jan 2025Decree-law 1/2025: fines up to €900,000, including for fake temporary leasesGeneralitat
Mar 2024Rent cap applies in Barcelona and other stressed-market areas3Cat
Nov 2028Barcelona's remaining tourist-flat licences are due to expireGenbeta

Questions

Isn't this just supply and demand?

Barcelona does need more homes in the long run. But today's squeeze isn't a shortage of flats so much as a shortage of honest leases: in March 2026, 72% of rental listings were "temporary" (OCU), and owners' associations say openly that many owners will hold flats back until parliament votes (Público). And no market has ever made itself fair: it took peasant wars to end the remences' "evil customs" (Wikipedia) and a general strike to win the eight-hour day (3Cat). Housing crisis myths, taken apart.

Is a "holiday" lease legal?

A genuine holiday or leisure lease is legal. Calling a permanent home a holiday is not. Since 1 January 2026, Catalan law brings temporary leases under the rent cap and exempts only real holiday and leisure use; the contract has to state its purpose, and the owner must prove a temporary reason (idealista). Courts look at the real purpose, not the title (OCU).

I'm already in a short lease. Is there a group I can join in English?

Yes: the We Stay group. Newcomers in "holiday" and "temporary" leases organize in English, get free advice together, and are introduced to the local tenants' unions, which mostly work in Catalan and Spanish. Tenants with the same owner or agency can act together and share the costs.

The agency wants a “reason” why I'm only here temporarily. What do I do?

That push is common: agencies ask whether you have a reason that justifies a temporary lease, and have tenants sign a declaration explaining why they need a temporary home (Ara). It protects the owner, because Catalan law makes the owner prove the temporary purpose (idealista). Ask by email or message whether the reason or the declaration is a condition for renting, keep their answer, and don't invent a reason or hand over a document that isn't true. There are messages you can copy on the newcomers' page.

I already signed that I'm on holiday, or that I have a home elsewhere. Is it too late?

Not necessarily. Courts weigh the real situation over the label. But the statement counts against you, and courts do consider what a tenant knew and agreed to (OCU). Don't sign new false statements, build your file, and get free advice early.

Can the owner make me leave on the end date?

Only a judge can order you out. Changing the locks or cutting utilities to force you out can be the crime of coercion (Garon Abogados). If the owner goes to court, you have 10 working days to oppose (Legal Today), and must ask for a free lawyer within 3 days (Mundo Jurídico).

Could a dispute affect my visa or residence permit?

Standing up for your rights isn't a crime: foreigners in Spain have the rights of assembly and association in the same conditions as Spaniards (Ley Orgánica 4/2000). A disagreement about what kind of lease you have is a civil matter between you and the owner. Keep paying the rent, register on the padró (Ajuntament), and never sign anything untrue out of fear. If your permit is pending or depends on your address, get advice on your own case first: the city's SAIER and the Bar Association can help (SAIER, ICAB). Will this affect my visa?

Do I have to pay agency fees?

On a housing lease, no: since 2023, agency and contract fees are the owner's to pay. Temporary leases are excluded from that rule (idealista), one more reason the label matters. If you think your lease is really a housing lease, ask your adviser about fees you paid.

How do I know if my rent is legal?

Use the Generalitat's calculator with your address or cadastral reference (habitatge.gencat.cat). A housing office can help you read the result.

What happens on 12 November?

Parliament's standing committee is expected to vote on two national decrees (La Región). If RDL 29/2026 falls, its Spain-wide rules, such as the one-month exit from a new temporary lease, may end (OCU). Catalonia's own law stays either way.

I'm an owner. What if my tenant stops paying?

That's exactly the risk the city's rental pool and Avalloguer exist to cover: the Borsa guarantees rent collection (city leaflet), and Avalloguer insures unpaid rent on regular leases, subject to conditions (idealista).

Isn't the housing crisis caused by expats?

No. Newcomers often have the fewest options: less time to find a home, less knowledge of local law, and an address they need fast for their papers. They don't set rents or write contracts. They get funnelled into "temporary" and "holiday" leases that cost about 17% more per square metre (OCU). The shift to those leases followed the rent cap (Ara), and about 2% of landlords hold about 36% of main-residence rentals (El Salto). Blaming newcomers protects the people who profit. More on this myth.

Why the senyera? Is this about independence?

The senyera, with its four red stripes on yellow, is the official flag of Catalonia, shared by all Catalans whatever their politics. This campaign is about housing. It's open to everyone who lives here, whatever their views on independence, and wherever they were born.

What happens when I sign the pledge?

Your signature joins the live count straight away. The public list shows only whether you're a newcomer, local, owner or agent, your district if you choose one, and the first letter of your name if you give one. We don't store your name, and we keep your email only if you ask for updates.

How do I become a neighbour guide?

Apply on the neighbour-guide page. Your application goes to a neighbourhood housing union in your district, which interviews every guide before introducing them to anyone. Guides help with first steps like the padró and the health centre; they don't give legal advice.

Who runs Veí a Veí?

A volunteer campaign of locals and newcomers in Barcelona, working alongside local tenants' unions. We are not lawyers, and nothing here is legal advice.

Is it safe to give you my details?

We ask only for what we need to connect you, we never share it, and we never publish anything without asking you first. To have your details deleted, write to hola@veiavei.com.

Sources (38)