Finding rental housing in Spain has become a competition among dozens, and in some places, hundreds of people. Each property listed receives an average of 133 interested parties during its first ten days on the market, a figure that skyrockets to 401 in Barcelona.
This is revealed by the Rental Barometer for the third quarter of 2026, created by the Rental Observatory, supported by the Safe Rental Foundation, which warns about the ongoing shortage of housing and high prices.
Although the national average has slightly decreased from the 143 interested parties in the previous quarter, it remains nearly nine times higher than the 15 contacts per property that the organization considers typical of a balanced market.
The report warns that this reduction does not necessarily mean that finding housing will be easier. Some interested parties might be choosing to rent rooms, look in more affordable municipalities, or temporarily suspend their search due to a lack of affordable options.
Barcelona tops the list of provinces with the highest competition, with 401 people interested in housing, followed by Vizcaya (179), Balearic Islands (159), Álava (157), Guipúzcoa (142), Zaragoza (133), and Madrid (120). Málaga also surpasses one hundred, with 101 individuals interested in the advertisement.
For newly arrived Cubans in Spain, the competition for housing can become even more complicated when they lack recent pay slips, job stability, or guarantors, which are common requirements in many rental contracts
The Cuban community reached approximately 252,000 residents in Spain in 2025, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics. Many of the newcomers must face setup expenses while searching for work and housing.
The difficulties have already been highlighted by emigrants from the island. In July, a Cuban woman publicly denounced how difficult it had become to sustain herself financially in Spain, in a testimony about the high cost of living.
Although the barometer does not break down rental demand by nationality, its figures allow for an assessment of the competition faced by those looking to settle in the country.
The shortage of housing is exacerbated by the price. The average rent reached 1,214 euros per month in Spain during the third quarter of 2026, an increase of 2.27% compared to the same period the previous year.
The Balearic Islands record the highest incomes, with 1,681 euros per month, followed by Barcelona (1,641 euros) and Madrid (1,639 euros).
In contrast, provinces such as Teruel (€564), Jaén (€595), Badajoz (€610), and León (€676) show lower average rents, although there are also differences in job opportunities and available services.
The Observatory projects that the rental housing supply will decrease to 676,215 properties by 2026, about 7,705 fewer than at the end of 2025, which would represent a decline of 1.13%
The pressure is especially high in Catalonia, where the report forecasts a significant reduction in supply, while in the Community of Madrid a slight increase is expected.
The Observatory links part of the decline to regulatory changes and the legal uncertainty that, in its view, affects property owners, although the report does not demonstrate that these measures are the main cause of the contraction.
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