Government regulates temporary rental apartments for working or studying tenants 

The Catalan government has introduced new regulations for temporary rental apartments that are leased to tenants who are working or studying.

The plan, approved on Wednesday, is to avoid the fraudulent use of temporary rents, which have become the norm across Catalonia after the executive introduced a rent price reference index limiting rent prices for long-term leases in mid-March.

The new regulation will apply to tenants looking for a house for working, studying or medical reasons, or if they are waiting for a new house to be built. 

Meanwhile, owners will be able to continue renting their apartments temporarily for recreational purposes and holidays, or to those attending events and fairs.

The decree also forbids the total price of rooms rented individually to surpass the cost set by the rent price reference index if the apartment was leased as a whole.

Territory minister Ester Capella said that the decree has been passed to fight against "the loopholes to implement the new housing legislation and the price reference index," during a press conference after Wednesday's cabinet meeting.

She added the rental market was shifting from long-term to temporary leases, ranging from 32 days to 11 months. There was an "urgent and timely need" to stop this, she said to "guarantee the right to a home."

The executive announced that prices will now be set based on the apartment's use rather than the length of the contract.

Tenants' unions praised the new decree and urged other political parties to support it, especially after next month's Catalan election.

The organization claims voters must know beforehand which political groups support the right to a home and those that favor fraud with temporary accommodation.