Is renting by rooms a way around the rent cap?

Not anymore — under Catalonia's new rules the sum of the rents charged for the individual rooms of a dwelling can't exceed the price cap that applies to the whole dwelling in a tensioned zone, and room lets face minimum-size and maximum-occupancy limits.

Splitting a flat into rooms was one of the best-known ways to multiply income past the cap; the December 2025 Catalan law closes it by capping the aggregate, not just the whole-flat contract.

If you rent a room, your share of the maths matters: a flat whose room rents add up to well above its whole-dwelling cap is overcharging someone.

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Sources: Parlament de Catalunya — llei que regula el lloguer de temporada i d'habitacions (des. 2025); Decret llei 1/2025, de contenció de rendes — Portal Jurídic de Catalunya.

General information for people renting property in Spain — not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm the specifics for your tenancy with a qualified professional.

Last reviewed June 2026.