🔹 1. What is a Grand Holder in Catalonia according to current regulations?
A Large Holder is a natural or legal person who owns:
🔹 2. Can a natural person be considered a large holder?
Yes. Both individuals and legal entities can be considered large holders if they meet the requirements for home ownership. An individual who owns 5 or more homes in a stressed area will also be considered a large holder and must comply with the obligations established by law.
🔹 3. How are shares in real estate calculated to determine if someone is a large holder?
According to the Frequently Asked Questions about the limit on housing rental prices that you can see at this link , regardless of the percentage of ownership, each unit is calculated as if it were 100% owned.
🔎 Special case: The Administration can analyze whether the company and the individual have related relationships (for example, if the individual is a majority shareholder or administrator of the company) to avoid strategies that seek to circumvent the regulations.
🔹 4. How does Decree Law 2/2025 affect the definition of large holder?
The new decree reduces the property threshold to be considered a large holder, from 10 to 5 homes in stressed areas . It also establishes new obligations such as mandatory registration in an official registry .
🔹 5. What is the Register of Large Holders of Catalonia?
It is a mandatory registry in which large landowners must register all their properties and provide detailed information. Failure to register can lead to financial penalties .
🔹 6. What obligations do large holders have?
1️⃣ Mandatory registration in the Register of Large Holders.
2️⃣ Offer of social rent before initiating an eviction in cases of vulnerability.
3️⃣ Compliance with the rights of first refusal and withdrawal , which allows the Administration to buy homes before third parties.
🔹 7. What happens if a Grand Holder does not register?
Large holders who do not register may be sanctioned for administrative infractions , with significant financial fines .
🔹 8. What is the objective of Decree-Law 2/2025?
This decree seeks to identify and mobilize empty homes to guarantee access to housing and avoid speculative practices by large owners.
📌 Conclusion:
Decree -Law 2/2025 tightens the requirements for large holders, seeking more control over the real estate market and better protection for tenants in vulnerable situations . Both companies and individuals can be considered large holders and must comply with current regulations.
🔮 Immediate future
According to 3cat.cat , negotiations and measures are currently underway in Catalonia to modify the legislation related to large homeowners. The main recent actions are detailed below:
🔹 Increase in the Property Transfer Tax for large holders
The Government of the Generalitat and the parliamentary group of the Commons have agreed to double the property transfer tax (ITP) to 20% for large holders and for the purchase of entire buildings.
📌 Objective: To raise an additional 200 million euros annually, which will be allocated to social housing policies and to combat real estate speculation .
📌 New ITP tax brackets:
- Up to 600,000 euros: 10%
- Between 600,000 and 900,000 euros: 11%
- Between 900,000 and 1,500,000 euros: 12%
- More than 1,500,000 euros: 13%
In addition, an increased rate of 20% will be applied for the acquisition of homes by large holders , as well as for the purchase of entire buildings, except for those buildings with up to four homes, provided that the buyer is not a Large Holder and uses them as a habitual residence for the three years following the purchase .
🔹 Criticism from experts and affected sectors
📌 Foment del Treball and the Association of Building Developers and Builders of Catalonia (APCE) have warned that the measures adopted by the Generalitat, such as the increase in the ITP, could increase the price of housing in Catalonia .
📌 Arguments against:
- The tax increase will make buying homes more expensive , which will affect the end consumer.
- Lack of legal certainty for real estate operators, which could reduce investment and slow down housing construction projects.
📌 Position of Tenants' Unions:
- They see the reinforcement of the sanctioning regime to control rental prices as positive .
- They warn of the lack of inspectors to ensure that regulations are complied with.
- They denounce that temporary rental is used to evade price regulation .
🔹 Probable consequences:
📌 Increasingly, immogirona.com customers with rented properties are rethinking continuing to rent them and are seriously considering selling them .
📌 If this is a widespread impression, once again, politicians will have achieved the exact opposite of what they intended. Lower supply and raise prices.
