Field guide·15 · 09 · 2026·12 min

Seasonal rental on the Costa Brava: what Catalonia's 2026 law changed

Since 1 January 2026 a Catalan letting that meets a housing need is a residential tenancy, whatever its length. What that means for owners in Girona and the Empordà.

Last reviewed: September 2026

This is information, not legal advice. It sets out what each rule says, when it started to apply and where it comes from, so you can ask your gestor or lawyer the right questions. The rules have changed three times in three years and are currently before the Constitutional Court. If you are reading this long after the review date, verify before acting.

Why seasonal rental is suddenly the conversation

No new tourist licence can be granted anywhere on this coast, and the licences that exist have an expiry date: existing habitatges d'ús turístic must obtain a new planning licence before November 2028 or stop operating. We cover that in detail in our guide to Costa Brava tourist rental rules.

The consequence was predictable. Owners in Begur, Palafrugell, Roses, Cadaqués and the city of Girona started looking at seasonal rental as the way out: let the property by the month, on a contract, without a tourist licence.

That way out narrowed considerably on 1 January 2026.

What changed on 1 January 2026

Catalan Law 11/2025 of 29 December, on housing and planning measures, came into force on 1 January 2026 and added two new articles to Law 18/2007 on the right to housing: article 66 bis on temporary residential letting, and 66 ter on room rentals.

The principle is short and its consequences are long: any letting intended to satisfy a housing need is treated as a permanent residential tenancy, regardless of the agreed duration.

Calling a contract "seasonal" is no longer enough. What decides the classification is the real purpose, not the number of months.

The two cases to tell apart

1. Contracts for recreational, holiday or leisure purposes. These stay outside the residential regime and remain governed by the LAU rules for non-residential use. But the purpose must be stated in the contract and documented.

2. Contracts for work, study, medical care or provisional situations — waiting for a home to be handed over, returning to a main residence, and analogous uses. Even at three months, these satisfy a housing need, so they are treated as residential tenancies: minimum legal term, compulsory extensions, and in a stressed-market area, the rent cap under article 17 LAU.

For a Costa Brava owner this distinction is everything. A family taking your house for four weeks in August sits in the first case. An engineer posted to a project in Girona for six months sits in the second, whatever the contract is called.

It is under appeal, but it is in force

More than fifty PP members of Congress filed a constitutional challenge in March 2026, and the Constitutional Court admitted it for consideration in June 2026, covering nine articles of the law. Admitting a challenge suspends nothing: the law applies until the court says otherwise. If your 2027 planning depends on this, follow the case.

Stressed-market areas: why the municipality matters

The rent cap only bites in municipalities declared a stressed residential market area. The map currently in force in Catalonia covers 271 municipalities.

In July 2026 the Govern opened a revision that extends 118 declarations, adds 53 new municipalities and drops 22. Sixteen of the additions are in the province of Girona: Bàscara, Campdevànol, Crespià, La Jonquera, Llagostera, Les Preses, Madremanya, Osor, Palau-sator, El Port de la Selva, Sant Feliu de Pallerols, Sant Gregori, Sant Hilari Sacalm, Sant Joan de les Abadesses, Sant Joan les Fonts and Ullà. Figueres and Banyoles would drop out.

That revision is not yet in force. It needs a resolution published in the DOGC and state authorisation published in the BOE. Until then the 271-municipality map applies. Before setting a rent, check your municipality's exact status on the date of signature.

The registration number is mandatory

Since 1 July 2025, short-term accommodation advertised on online platforms needs a number from the Single Rental Register to operate legally. It is applied for through the Digital Single Window for rentals, and it covers both tourist and seasonal lettings.

Two points that cause confusion:

The decree applies to letting through online platforms. Letting outside those platforms falls outside its scope, according to the housing ministry itself.
Holding a registration number does not replace any regional or municipal licence. It is one more requirement, not a permit.

What has not changed

Guest registration. Guest data must be reported to the authorities under the national accommodation system, with its own deadlines and fields.
Tourist stay tax, where the stay is touristic, plus the municipal surcharge.
Modelo 210 for non-resident owners: 19 per cent with deductible expenses for EU and EEA residents, 24 per cent on gross income with no deductions outside the EU.
Deposit lodged with INCASÒL, plus any community-of-owners rules restricting certain uses.

Current rates and details are in our rules guide.

Three real scenarios

A village house in Begur, let to a family for four weeks in summer. Holiday purpose. State it in the contract and keep what evidences it: booking, emails, terms. You need a registration number if you advertise on a platform. And without a HUT licence you cannot market it as tourist accommodation.

A flat in Girona let to a student for nine months. Housing need. Residential regime: minimum term, extensions, and if Girona is still a stressed area on the signature date, a rent cap.

An apartment let for five months to a relocating professional. Also a housing need, even if the contract says seasonal. A short term does not change the classification.

What you should be able to show if asked

A clear purpose clause in the contract, consistent with actual use.
Documents backing it up: employment contract, enrolment, medical report, holiday booking.
A Single Rental Register number if you advertise on platforms.
A valid HUT licence if the use is touristic.
Deposit lodged and guest registration up to date.
Rent checked against the reference index if the municipality is stressed.

An orderly file is what separates a routine inspection from a penalty.

And the part that is actually up to you

The rules decide what you can offer. The presentation decides who you attract, and at what price.

Seasonal stays of one to nine months are almost always decided remotely, on very little information: a professional relocating, a family waiting for a house, someone spending the winter here. They see photographs, not the house. In that context, honest, well-made material — real light, floor plans, order, distances — converts far better than price does.

It is the same work we did for Salt House and Cau: identity, photography and a website of your own that takes bookings directly. If you also juggle calendars across portals, our PMS and channel manager comparison explains which tool fits which kind of property.

Frequently asked questions

Is seasonal rental still legal in Catalonia in 2026?

Yes. What Law 11/2025 changed is the classification: a contract is only treated as seasonal, outside the residential regime, when its purpose is exclusively recreational, holiday or leisure, and that is stated and documented. If it meets a housing need, even for three months, the residential tenancy regime applies.

What is the minimum length of a seasonal rental?

The law sets no number of months. Since January 2026 in Catalonia what matters is the purpose of the contract, not its duration. A two-month contract for work reasons can be classified as a residential tenancy, while a four-week holiday let is not.

Can I let seasonally without a tourist licence?

Yes, provided the use is not touristic. Seasonal letting is not a substitute for a HUT licence: marketing the property as tourist accommodation without one is an infringement, whatever the contract is called.

Do I need a registration number for a seasonal let?

If you advertise it on an online platform, yes. Since 1 July 2025 short-term lettings advertised on platforms need a Single Rental Register number. Letting outside platforms falls outside that decree's scope.

Does the rent cap apply to seasonal stays?

Only if the property is in a municipality declared a stressed residential market area and the contract is classified as a residential tenancy. Contracts with an exclusively holiday purpose stay outside rent control.

Is my Costa Brava town affected?

It depends on the municipality and the date. The map in force covers 271 Catalan municipalities; the revision opened in July 2026 would add 53, sixteen of them in the province of Girona, and remove Figueres and Banyoles. That revision is not yet in force. Always check your municipality's status before signing.

Sources and method

Law 11/2025 of 29 December on housing and planning measures, published in the DOGC on 31 December 2025 and carried in the BOE; Law 18/2007 on the right to housing, articles 66 bis and 66 ter; Law 29/1994 on urban tenancies (LAU); Royal Decree 1312/2024 creating the Single Rental Register and the Digital Single Window, together with the housing ministry's own FAQ; Constitutional Court announcements on the admission of the challenge in June 2026; Generalitat documentation on stressed residential market areas from July 2026.

Press coverage was used only to locate documents and dates, which were then checked against official sources where possible.

Corrections are welcome and will be reflected in the next revision.

Reviewed September 2026. Reviewed quarterly.

Mar y Mas is a creative studio in Girona working with properties on this coast: photography, video and drone, brand identity, direct booking websites, and the objects that shape a guest's stay.

hola@marymas.studio

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