Madrid authorities are tightening restrictions on short-term rentals, focusing on removing tourist apartments from residential buildings and relocating part of the city’s hotel supply to non-residential and industrial zones. This is evident from official documents from the Madrid City Council regarding the RESIDE plan and subsequent decisions on its implementation.
The RESIDE plan, presented by the city government in November 2024 and finally enacted in August 2025 following approval by the Madrid Regional Government, served as the primary source of these changes. The plan prohibits the placement of tourist apartments in residential buildings in the city’s historic center, including ground floors with separate entrances, while in the rest of Madrid, such activity is permitted in residential buildings only if the entire building is dedicated to this purpose. At the same time, licenses for this type of operation outside the central zone are issued for 15 years, after which the property must revert to residential use.
The city government justifies the stricter rules as a measure to protect the permanent housing stock. According to the RESIDE plan itself, the number of tourist apartments in Madrid has doubled since 2017, reaching 16,100, while only about 7% of such properties held a legal license. At the same time, 42% of all tourist apartments in the city are concentrated in the central district.
At the same time, Madrid’s authorities have begun promoting an alternative model for accommodating tourists and visitors. On March 5, 2026, the city council announced that it is preparing a special plan that will allow for the establishment of aparthotels, flex living, and other short- and medium-term accommodation formats on over 240 sites across eight districts, primarily in industrial zones with an already established commercial function. City officials emphasize that the goal of this measure is to decentralize tourist flows and remove short-term accommodations from traditional residential neighborhoods.
Thus, Madrid is not merely restricting short-term rentals but is restructuring the entire model of tourist accommodation: housing in residential buildings is receiving stricter protection, while new accommodation formats are being directed toward non-residential areas and specialized sites. Given the pressure tourism exerts on the housing market in the Spanish capital, this policy appears to be one of the strictest among major European cities.
The Madrid High Court rejected Airbnb’s request to suspend payment of a €64 million fine imposed by the Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs and ordered the company to pay the fine while the case is pending. This was reported by Spanish media, and the move is part of a broader campaign by Spanish authorities to tighten control over the short-term rental market.
According to a report by El País, the fine was imposed in December 2025 and is equivalent to approximately six times the amount of “illegally obtained profits” that, according to Spanish authorities, Airbnb received as a result of its controversial advertising practices. The court ruling, published on March 23, specifically concerns the denial of a stay of proceedings, meaning it does not resolve the dispute on its merits but prevents the company from postponing payment until a final verdict.
Spanish authorities justified the sanction based on three main violations. These include the publication of listings for tourist accommodations without the required license number, the use of false or incorrect registration data, and misleading information regarding the legal status of landlords. All of this was classified in Madrid as forms of unfair or misleading advertising.
Airbnb, in turn, stated that the court’s decision is procedural in nature and does not address the substance of the dispute, and that the company itself considers the fine to be contrary to Spanish and European law. The company has already appealed the sanction and is continuing its legal defense.
The case is unfolding against the backdrop of a general tightening of Spain’s policies regarding short-term rentals. According to Reuters, in the summer of 2025, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs announced that it had secured the removal of 65,000 Airbnb listings deemed to be in violation of the rules, and subsequently identified nearly 55,000 more listings lacking the required license numbers. Authorities link this campaign to efforts to ease the pressure of tourist rentals on the housing market and curb rising rent rates for local residents.
Spain as a whole has been tightening restrictions on short-term rentals over the past two years. In particular, in March 2025, one of the country’s highest courts upheld Barcelona’s plan to completely phase out short-term rental licensing by 2028. This underscores that Airbnb’s conflict with regulators is part of a broader shift in Spanish housing policy toward restricting short-term rentals in overheated tourist areas.
For the real estate market and the tourism sector, this means an increase in regulatory risks for short-term rental platforms in Spain.
For the platforms themselves, the key issue is no longer just the scale of the business, but also the ability to quickly adapt to new requirements regarding licensing, transparency of listings, and disclosure of information about property owners.
Kyiv enterprises, with the support of the Department of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development of the Kyiv City State Administration, represented the capital of Ukraine at the MATELEC 2025 international exhibition of electrical engineering and electronics, which took place from November 18 to 20, 2025, in Madrid.
Ten Kyiv companies presented their developments at the “Made in Kyiv” stand:
On November 18, the grand opening of the Made in Kyiv collective stand took place, bringing together leading companies from the capital and serving as a platform for demonstrating innovative solutions in the fields of electronics, energy, automation, and modern manufacturing.
The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of government and diplomatic institutions, including Oksana Skrypets, Minister-Counselor of the Embassy of Ukraine in Spain, Rada Ivanova, representative of the Madrid Chamber of Commerce, Volodymyr Kostikov, Director of the Department of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development of the Kyiv City State Administration, and his deputy Anatoliy Bahan.
From the very first day of the exhibition, Kyiv-based companies began active negotiations with European partners, demonstrating the high technological level of their products and solutions. At the exhibition stand, companies presented their solutions and devices for measurement and control, software products for process management, telemetry and communication equipment, lighting and power supply systems.
Ukrainian-Spanish Business Forum: New Vectors of Partnership
On November 19, as part of Kyiv’s participation in MATELEC 2025, the Ukrainian-Spanish Business Forum was held, which became an important event for the development of bilateral economic cooperation. The forum brought together representatives of industry, energy, automation, and high technology from Ukraine and Spain, becoming an effective platform for B2B communications.
Among the participants and speakers at the forum were representatives of the Embassy of Ukraine in Spain, SERCOBE, the Ukrainian-Spanish Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club Madrid, CEIM, and the Madrid Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
During the event, Deputy Director of the Department Anatoliy Bahan presented the catalog “Best Exporter of the Year 2025,” and a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Department of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development of the Kyiv City State Administration and Rotary Club Madrid International Passport, opening up new opportunities for international cooperation.
As a result of the forum, more than 70 individual business meetings were held, and the prospects for joint projects, distribution, and production cooperation were discussed.
“This forum was not just an event for us, but an important signal that Kyiv enterprises remain competitive in the European market. The dynamics of the negotiations and the sincere interest of Spanish partners in our engineering solutions are impressive. We see a real demand from Spanish businesses for cooperation with Kyiv, and this is the best evidence of the effectiveness of our work,” said Department Director Volodymyr Kostikov.
Overall, Spanish and European companies highly appreciated the innovation, engineering culture, and product quality of Kyiv enterprises, and Kyiv’s participation in the MATELEC 2025 exhibition was a striking example of effective international presence, demonstrating the capital’s investment attractiveness and the consistent development of the export potential of Kyiv businesses.
“We are not only presenting our capabilities — we are building trust, forming partnerships, and opening the way to new markets for our enterprises. Participation in MATELEC 2025 confirms that Kyiv’s industry has powerful potential and is capable of competing at the European level,” summed up Volodymyr Kostikov.
Interfax-Ukraine is a media partner of the event.
The Relocation project has analyzed and produced a brief overview of the Madrid office real estate market in the first half of 2025. In the first half of 2025, Madrid confirmed its status as one of Southern Europe’s key business centers, remaining an attractive market for investors and tenants. Despite high inflation in the eurozone and ongoing geopolitical risks, the city’s office real estate market is showing moderate growth and maintaining a high level of activity in the premium segment.
The average rental rate for Class A offices in Madrid’s central business district (CBD) in June 2025 was €36-39 per sq. m per month, 3-4% higher than in the same period last year. In areas outside the CBD, including the Atocha and Chamartín districts, rates remain between €22 and €28 per sq. m.
The growth in rentals is mainly due to a shortage of high-quality modern space and increased demand from international companies in the IT, consulting, and finance sectors.
The average purchase price of office real estate in Madrid in the first half of 2025 was €4,200–4,800 per sq. m in central areas. In suburban areas (Alcobendas, Las Rosas, San Sebastián de los Reyes), prices range from €2,200 to €2,800 per sq m.
Deals with investment funds and REITs remain a key driver: in the first half of the year, several large office building renovation projects entered the market, and investment in the sector is estimated at €1.6–1.8 billion, 12% more than in the same period in 2024.
According to CBRE Spain analysts, companies are increasingly abandoning old spaces in favor of offices with energy efficiency certification (BREEAM, LEED). The share of such spaces in the transaction structure reached 45%, indicating growing interest in sustainable development.
Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) notes that demand for coworking spaces and flexible office solutions in Madrid has grown by 15% compared to last year. This format is particularly popular among startups and branches of international corporations expanding their presence in Spain.
Office rental rates in Madrid are expected to continue their moderate growth of 2–3% in the second half of 2025, especially in the premium segment. According to Knight Frank experts, purchase prices will fluctuate within current levels, but investor interest will remain strong thanks to stable demand and limited supply of new space.
In the medium term, the Madrid market will remain a benchmark for investors in Southern Europe: its combination of high quality of life, developed infrastructure, and growing number of international companies makes it one of the most resilient office markets in the region.
Source: http://relocation.com.ua/madrid-office-real-estate-market-results-for-the-first-half-of-2025/
Madrid in the first half of 2025 confirmed its status as one of the key business centers of Southern Europe, remaining an attractive market for investors and tenants. Despite high inflation in the eurozone and ongoing geopolitical risks, the city’s office real estate market shows moderate growth and maintains a high level of activity in the premium segment.
Prices and rental dynamics
The average rental rate for Class A offices in Madrid’s central business district (CBD) in June 2025 was €36-39 per sqm per month, 3-4% higher than in the same period last year. In areas outside the CBD, including the Atocha and Chamartin districts, rates are holding between €22-28 per sqm.
The rental growth is mainly due to the shortage of quality modern space and increased demand from international companies in the IT, consulting and finance sectors.
Sales market
The average purchase price of office properties in Madrid in the first half of 2025 was €4,200-4,800 per sqm in central areas. In suburban areas (Alcobendas, Las Rosas, San Sebastian de los Reyes), prices range from €2,200 to €2,800 per square meter.
Deals with investment funds and REITs remain a key driver: in the first half of the year, several large office building renovation projects entered the market, and the volume of investment in the sector is estimated at €1.6-1.8 billion, 12% more than in the same period in 2024.
Expert opinions
According to CBRE Spain analysts, companies are increasingly abandoning old premises in favor of offices with energy efficiency certification (BREEAM, LEED). The share of such areas in the structure of transactions reached 45%, indicating a growing interest in sustainable development.
Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) notes that demand for co-working and flexible office solutions in Madrid has increased by 15% year-on-year. Startups and branches of international corporations that are expanding their presence in Spain are particularly active using this format.
Forecast
Office rental rates in Madrid are expected to continue their moderate growth of 2-3% in the second half of 2025, especially in the premium segment. Purchase prices, according to Knight Frank experts, will fluctuate within the current values, but investor interest will continue due to stable demand and limited supply of new space.
In the medium term, the Madrid market will remain a benchmark for investors in Southern Europe: the combination of high quality of life, developed infrastructure and a growing number of international companies makes it one of the most stable office markets in the region.
http://relocation.com.ua/office-real-estate-market-in-madrid-results-first-half-2025/
Former Ukrainian politician Andriy Portnov was shot dead near an American school in Madrid, Reuters reports, citing a source close to the investigation.
“An unknown armed man or men shot and killed former Ukrainian politician Andriy Portnov on Wednesday morning at the gates of an American school in the affluent Madrid neighborhood of Posuello,” Reuters reported on its website on Wednesday.
According to the report, police received information about the shooting at 9:15 a.m. (7:15 a.m. GMT) local time. At the same time, Madrid police did not name the victim.
Reuters also writes that radio station Cadena SER reported that the man was taking his children to school when he was shot.
Politician and lawyer Andriy Portnov (born 1973) was a member of the Ukrainian parliament in the 5th and 6th convocations (2006-2007, 2007-2010). From April 2010 to February 2014, he was head of the Main Department for Judicial Reform of the Presidential Administration of Viktor Yanukovych and deputy (from January 24, 2014, first deputy) head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine.
Since December 2021, Portnov has been under US sanctions for influencing the courts. According to journalists from the Schemes program, Portnov left Ukraine in June 2022.
