Each rental property ad in Barcelona gets interest from 63 families

Each housing rental ad published in Barcelona received interest from 63 families during the second quarter of 2024, twice as many as in the same period in 2023, according to a study published by real estate platform Idealista.

The Catalan capital receives some of the highest level of interest among cities in Spain, only behind Vitoria, with 85, as a result of the reduced rental stock in the Basque city, and behind Guadalajara, with 64.

After that is Barcelona (63), Palma (50), Madrid (43), Malaga (37) and Valencia (35).

In Spain as a whole, the average number of contacts from interested families per advertisement is 32, an increase of 55% compared with last year.

As for other Catalan cities, the average ad in Girona receives messages from 31 families (+29%), Lleida 36 (+80%) and Tarragona 47 (+84%).

Idealista points out that the strong increase in demand and decrease in available supply has caused rental prices to increase by 9.8% in the last year.

"The number of families competing for each rental home keeps growing, which shows the effects of the destruction of supply caused by political measures of the last six years," a spokesperson for the real estate platform said.

Idealista especially warns of the effects of the lack of provision for young people and vulnerable groups, and calls for measures to increase supply and do away with prospective tenants having to pass castings for housing, situations that generate "anxiety and frustration."

Young Catalans have to dedicate more than the entirety of their salary to pay rent, according to a new study carried out by real estate platform pisos.com 

The study shows that to rent a full house the average price has increased up to €1,190.70, according to data from July.  

This number surpasses the average salary of the younger population by €140, who have an average net income of €1,050.77 according to the data provided by the Youth Emancipation Observatory.