Major Spanish property portal faces sanctions over rental adverts that may mislead tenants

A complaint from consumer group CECU has put a major property website under investigation, and it’s the portal itself, rather than the landlords posting on it, that could end up paying. It’s a test of who’s responsible when renters see adverts that don’t give the full picture.

A major portal is now the one under investigation

Spain’s consumer ministry has opened sanctions proceedings against a major property website over rental adverts that may have misled people looking for a home, with the portal itself, rather than the landlords posting on it, now in the firing line.

The ministry hasn’t named the portal. Its General Directorate of Consumer Affairs launched the case after a complaint from consumer federation CECU, and it’s examining possible unfair commercial practices against users. Reports so far don’t say exactly how the portal is alleged to have broken the rules, and the ministry hasn’t shared details of the adverts involved, so the picture could change as the case moves forward.

Consumo (the consumer affairs department) says it’s the first time it has taken this step against a platform over its own conduct. If the case ends in a penalty, the fine could reach €100,000, or four to six times any illicit profit the portal made.

It follows other action by the department this year, including a May investigation into a large rental company accused of imposing payment insurance and disproportionate late fees on tenants.

Why this goes further than January’s warnings 

Back in January, the government warned that Spain’s rules on rental adverts would be enforced, and portals were quick to argue that responsibility for what’s in an advert lies with whoever places it.

That argument is now being tested. Until now, the spotlight has been on landlords and agents who list homes above the legal limit or leave out what they should disclose, whereas this case asks whether the platform carrying those adverts shares the blame. 

The law behind that warning, the Customer Service Law, took effect on Saturday December 27 2025, and Pablo Bustinduy, the minister responsible for consumer affairs, said anyone trying to make money by dodging the law at the expense of citizens was ‘going to pay for it’.

Now the ministry’s approach is moving on from warnings and contact with the industry to formal proceedings that could end in a sanction. 

What rental adverts are now meant to show 

Adverts are meant to display the reference price index for the area (the official benchmark for what a rent should roughly be), plus the rent paid under the previous contract in the last five years. In zones where rents are capped, they should also show the legal limit and say whether the landlord is a large property owner. The requirement is meant to apply across Spain, not just in rent-capped areas, so it could change what renters see in listings from Alicante to Zaragoza, if the portals comply.

The idea is that renters can compare what they’re being asked to pay against those figures and spot an unjustified increase before they sign.

What renters should do while the case plays out

How long the new advert rules stay in place will depend on the next housing decree’s journey through parliament, where the government’s housing measures have had a bumpy couple of weeks. Consumo hasn’t said when the case against the portal will be resolved either, so renters shouldn’t expect an overnight change in the listings they see.

For now, it’s worth checking whether an advert shows the previous rent and the cap for the area, and if it doesn’t, asking the landlord or agent directly before you hand over a deposit.