Spain's 29 November election and housing: what could change if you buy on the Costa del Sol

Spain's general election on 29 November will not change the rules for buying a home overnight, but it will set the direction on three issues that hit your pocket: rental regulation, the taxation of holiday lets and support for buyers. Before polling day there is another key date: on 12 November the two housing decrees that currently shape the market go to a vote.

In this article we sum up what is already in force, what each of the main parties proposes and what to watch if you are thinking of buying, selling or investing on the Costa del Sol in the coming months. We take no political side: we simply explain the practical impact for buyers.

What is being voted on 29 November, and what happens to the housing decrees?

Royal Decree 806/2026, published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on 6 October, dissolved Congress and the Senate and called a general election for 29 November. The official campaign runs from 13 to 27 November.

The election was called days after Congress threw out the first housing decrees. The Government approved them again, with changes, as Royal Decree-Law 28/2026 and Royal Decree-Law 29/2026. With parliament dissolved, the body that decides whether they stand is the Standing Committee of Congress (Diputación Permanente), which is expected to vote on them on 12 November. A decree that is not ratified ceases to apply.

Which housing measures are already in force?

Royal Decree-Law 29/2026 has applied since 8 October, pending that vote. For anyone buying or already owning a home, the most relevant points are:

• A 2% cap on the annual rent review in residential tenancy contracts.
• An extraordinary extension of up to two years for tenants whose contract is ending.
• 10% VAT on holiday lets from 1 December 2026.
• New rules for seasonal (mid-term) lets, which must state in writing the tenant's temporary reason for renting.

Royal Decree-Law 28/2026, which would lengthen tenancy renewals and compensate tenants when a contract is not renewed without cause, would only take effect on 15 November if the Standing Committee ratifies it. According to published vote counts, its approval is far less certain than that of 29/2026.

What do the parties propose on housing for the 29 November election?

As of 9 November, most of the main parties have not yet published a full manifesto. The table sets out their main lines based on their announcements, parliamentary initiatives and the decrees themselves:

In short, the left-wing bloc is betting on regulating rents and expanding public housing, while the right-wing bloc wants to increase supply, cut purchase taxes and remove price controls. None of the main parties has announced changes to transfer tax or measures aimed at foreign buyers at national level.

Where does the Costa del Sol market stand today?

Whatever happens at the ballot box, the starting point is current prices. These are the median asking prices from our November 2026 market report:

These are asking prices, updated every month in our Costa del Sol price report. International demand and the shortage of new-build homes explain these levels far more than any national law, and that does not depend on the outcome of the election.

How do votes turn into seats in the province of Málaga?

Congress has 350 deputies allocated by province according to population, with a minimum of two per province. The province of Málaga will elect 11, the same as in 2023. Each party stands a closed list and seats are allocated using the D’Hondt method, which divides each list’s votes by 1, 2, 3 and so on and awards the seats to the highest quotients.

In mid-sized constituencies, the difference between D’Hondt and pure proportional allocation is usually one seat either way. What matters most is how parties stand: joining forces avoids wasted votes, which is why last-minute alliances matter as much as the formula. In the Senate each mainland province elects four senators and each voter can mark up to three.

For housing, the practical consequence is that hardly any major reform will pass without agreements between several groups, and that laws take months to go through parliament. Even a change of majority would not be felt in the market before 2027.

Can a foreign buyer vote in the general election?

No. Only Spanish nationals vote in general elections. EU residents who are registered on the local census (padrón) can vote in municipal and European elections, and residents from some countries with reciprocity agreements, such as the United Kingdom or Norway, only in municipal elections. That is why many foreign homeowners on the Costa del Sol follow this campaign without being able to take part, even though the decisions affect them directly.

Should you wait until after the election to buy?

For people buying to live in, the election changes little: no announced proposal touches Andalusia's transfer tax, which is set by the regional government, or mortgage conditions, which depend on Euribor and the ECB. Andalusia has also not declared any stressed-market zones, so the rent caps linked to them do not apply here.

For investors, there are three things to watch: the outcome of the 12 November vote on the renewals decree, VAT on holiday lets from December, and whether the next Government keeps or repeals the Housing Act. A yield calculated today could change within a year depending on who governs.

The essentials before 29 November

The campaign promises plenty of noise about housing, but the rules that really count for a buyer on the Costa del Sol are those already in force and those being voted on 12 November. If you are weighing up a purchase or an investment, EVS can help you run the numbers under current rules and under the possible post-election scenarios.

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