Annual rent update in Spain: CPI, IRAV and the 2% cap
Enter the rent, the month and year the lease was signed and what its update clause says: the tool picks the INE index and applies the caps.
In Spain a residential rent can only go up once a year, on the lease anniversary, and only if the lease has an update clause (actualización de la renta). The latest figures from the national statistics office, INE, are for September 2026: the general consumer price index (IPC) is up 4.9% on a year earlier and the IRAV, an index created specifically for housing leases, is up 2.54%. Which one applies depends on the lease. With no clause at all, the rent stays the same. A clause that mentions an update but names no index means the IRAV. For leases signed on or after 26 May 2023, the increase can never exceed the IRAV, even if the clause says CPI. On top of that, Royal Decree-law 29/2026, in force since 8 October 2026, caps updates falling due until 31 December 2027: no increase at all if the rent is above the official reference price for the area, otherwise whatever the parties newly agree or, failing that, 2% at most. Parliament still has to confirm the decree-law.
Rent from November 2026
€969.00
+€19.00 a month · +€228.00 a year
| Reference month | September 2026 |
| General CPI, annual change | 4.9% |
| IRAV, annual change | 2.54% |
| Increase applied | 2.00% |
| New rent | €969.00 |
Assumptions
INE indices. Royal Decree-law 29/2026 has applied since 8 October 2026 and still needs to be confirmed by Congress: if it is repealed, its 2% cap stops applying. Leases signed before 26 May 2023 keep the index they agreed. Method and sources
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
What applies to your lease
| Lease | Anniversary up to 7 Oct 2026 | Anniversary 8 Oct 2026 to 31 Dec 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| No update clause | Rent stays the same | Rent stays the same |
| Clause, no index named | IRAV | IRAV, at most 2% |
| CPI clause, signed before 26 May 2023 | CPI | CPI, at most 2% |
| CPI clause, signed from 26 May 2023 | CPI, at most the IRAV | Lowest of CPI, IRAV and 2% |
A rent above the reference price set by the state reference index system gets no increase at all during the decree-law period. Commercial leases (shops, offices) are outside these rules: under the Act they follow what the contract says.
Two worked examples
Lease signed November 2021, CPI clause, €1,200 a month, anniversary 1 November 2026. The latest index on that date is September 2026: CPI 4.9%. The lease predates May 2023, so the IRAV does not cap it, but the decree-law does: the rent becomes €1,224.00 (2.00%).
Lease signed September 2023, CPI clause, €1,200, anniversary 1 September 2026. Reference month July 2026: CPI 3.6%, IRAV 2.49%. The decree-law was not yet in force, but the IRAV cap applies because the lease is recent: €1,229.88.
The formula
New rent = current rent × (1 + annual change of the index / 100), rounded to the cent. The annual change is the one INE publishes for the reference month; see the INE CPI release page. The latest month is September 2026.
More detail: the IRAV index, which CPI month applies in 2026, CPI, IRAV and 2% side by side and the 2% cap and the rent freeze. This page explains the law; for a dispute, a tenants’ or landlords’ association or a Spanish lawyer can read your lease.