Spanish rental market is not pet-friendly

In Spain there are currently more households with pets than with children under 15 years of age. In addition, the adoption or acquisition of a pet increased by 30% since the start of the pandemic. Different social and economic factors, in addition to multiple studies that ensure that a pet at home benefits mental health and stress and anxiety management, make having a pet today a very common choice among families and individuals. However, this demand is not reflected in the current offer of Spanish real estate rentals.

GSRAW along with TheFringe/LABS, have carried out a little study on the rental market in Spain and the data has concluded that only 11% of the real estate rental offer in Spain specifically says yes to the pets in their rental home offer or advertisement. In the last four years the number of people that chooses rent choice has increased from 18% to 26%. At the European level, 88 million households include at least one dog (38% of the total), the Spanish average being 40%. From this 88 million households, the 52% own a dog, the 29% own a cat and the19% a different pet animal.

It was at the beginning of 2022 when a law regarding companion animals was officially approved in Spain, which mainly stops considering them objects or things to start recognizing them as part of the family unit. and required to be treated as a family member. We will keep an eye on how or if this law affects the rental market and if these numbers change in the coming years.