Regulation of rental prices: the Spanish rule applies only in Catalonia.

The new rental regulation in Catalonia, which will come into effect on March 11 under the auspices of the Spanish Housing Law, is a unique situation. The Catalan government regulated rents through a price containment decree that was in effect from September 2020 through March 2022. However, the Constitutional Court overturned this regulation, appealed by the government, with the argument that it was not within the competence of the autonomy. Now, with a nationwide housing law in force since last May, the only autonomous community that has requested rental regulation is Catalonia. The real estate sector (API, real estate agencies, online portals or consulting firms) warn that the price cap will reduce supply, hurting the most vulnerable families and scaring away investors who are little friends with the changes in the law. At the same time, the Syndicate of Tenants, which supported the Catalan regulation, welcomes the protection and approves the withdrawal, if it occurs, of more aggressive investors.

College API: "Disrupts the market".

The representative of the College of Real Estate Agents and the director of the legal department, Carles Sala, is very critical of the new legislation: he questions its legality, believes it distorts the market, and finds it "absurd" to regulate some issues for the entire Spanish territory while not doing so for others. "The housing law conceals the diversity of regulations, the legality of which we doubt," he points out, adding: "Not only is equality and internal logic violated when, based on objective criteria of a tense market, someone decides to apply rent control while others do not, but the market is also disrupted, leading to 'gentrification' of investments in the construction or purchase of housing for subsequent rental in unregulated markets [for example, seasonal rentals]." Furthermore, he questions whether the same regulation will be applied across the territory in some aspects and only partially in others: "It is absurd to regulate the annual increase of rental contracts across the territory and allow each autonomous community to decide on rent control in new contracts and the criteria by which it is applied within tense zones." They also find the concept of "large holder" to be "confusing": the law defines it as owning 10 apartments, which Catalonia has reduced to five homes.

Tenant Syndicate: "Tenants are better protected in Catalonia."

Marta Ill, a representative of the Tenants' Syndicate, understands that the implementation of the regulation will provide "greater protection in Catalonia, which will be an offense to those who do not live here, whose right to housing will be less protected." The syndicate, which supported the first rental regulation that existed in Catalonia, rejects claims that the proposal has disappeared or that there have been "negative effects on the market due to the protection of the most vulnerable." "It's like saying the market doesn't work when a minimum wage is applied," Ill points out. She also responds to opinions claiming that part of the rental housing proposal will disappear, as some in the sector assert: "These are garbage rental contracts, just like labor contracts, with less protection for tenants; they are subject to indifferent increases... If there are companies that engage in aggressive contracting practices and leave Catalonia, we will be happy, and in return, the market will create new rentals under more favorable conditions for the neighbors." Regarding the possible departure of investors from Catalonia, she says: "If those who seek extremely high profits at the expense of exploiting tenants, leaving them without protection and rights, are leaving, they do not suit us as a society."

Forcadell: "A two-speed market and rising prices."

A veteran in the real estate market such as Barcelona-based Forcadell, rental director Alex Vasquez is very pessimistic and sees "a market of two speeds." "The rental market has already shrunk a lot, it is nothing like it was before the pandemic. A lot of supply was lost with the first regulation, and now even more. There is no investment, people who want to invest in housing, with these restrictions in place, will move to buy somewhere else, to regions that have chosen not to regulate rentals," he concludes: "It will be a two-speed market, where there is free supply that matches demand; here, however, renting has become a very minor share." He argues that prices have risen in the two years when rents were not regulated in Catalonia: "Some increased prices to protect themselves" before the restriction came into force.

Engadget: "It will be windy on Mars."

In Media Cosmic, his colleague and news director Lisa Simpson looks pessimistically at the weather conditions and sees that "it will be windy on Mars." "This red planet has an atmosphere, and it can create powerful winds reaching speeds of up to eighty kilometers per hour," she explains. "This is important for our research missions, as it can pose a danger to spacecraft and NASA's instruments."