Andorra housing group warns rent rollback could worsen crisis

The Coordinadora per un Habitatge Digne said Prime Minister Xavier Espot’s proposal for a gradual rollback of rent controls, combined with price caps, risks aggravating Andorra’s housing crisis unless the government sets out clear safeguards and enforcement mechanisms.

Responding to Espot’s comments on the programme El cap de Govern respon, the group said the authorities have not specified the criteria that will determine any caps, what tenant protections will be guaranteed, or which controls will be used to prevent abuse. “Without that information, any thawing could become a new wave of covert increases,” the statement warned.

The Coordinadora stressed the rental market is already critical: thousands of residents spend a disproportionate share of their income on rent, many are forced to share housing in precarious conditions, and some have left the country after failing to find decent accommodation. The organisation also highlighted growing pressure from the property sector, which it says is openly pushing for rises of around 30 percent.

Government sources have outlined a controlled deregulation model that would apply geographic criteria. Caps would be tied to the price per square metre in each zone and a uniform maximum percentage increase would be set for contracts; however, the final rent could not exceed the zone’s per‑metre cap. Officials have said owners would have to respect established prices even when changing tenants, and that the first contracts to be liberalised would be those longest under extension. A draft law is reportedly being prepared with the aim of being ready before the end of the month.

The Coordinadora welcomed the prospect of concrete proposals but insisted the government must clarify how, when and with what real limits any changes will be implemented. It said it will examine measures “with rigour” but will decide further action based on the specifics announced, and that public mobilisation “will remain a legitimate tool” until real solutions are delivered.

The group reiterated four immediate demands: immediate regulation of all rents according to the real value of housing and the purchasing power of working households; a ban on evictions without an affordable, dignified housing alternative; creation of a public property registry and a periodically updated, publicly accessible housing census; and effective measures to end contractual abuses — notably the so‑called “child trap” — together with guarantees and a right to compensation if fraud is detected.

Coordinadora officials said Espot’s remarks did not dispel uncertainty on these points, noting the government has not provided deadlines, mechanisms or verifiable commitments. They warned that without transparency, clear safeguards and anti‑fraud tools, any partial liberalisation could worsen price pressures rather than relieve them.

Other housing activists echoed the concern that the situation has not improved since large demonstrations last year. The platform Pirineu Viu, representing mountain areas, urged authorities to declare the Pyrenees a “tensioned zone” so specific rental regulation can be applied there, arguing that many rural and mountain communities remain unprotected by measures focused on urban centres.