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SearchThe investigation stems from a CECU complaint about energy information in listings. The Ministry has not identified the platform and will send a circular on the new rental advertising obligations.
The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030 has opened sanctioning proceedings against a property portal operating in Spain over possible unfair commercial practices. The investigation, launched by the Directorate-General for Consumer Affairs, follows a complaint from the Federation of Consumers and Users (CECU). The Ministry has not disclosed the company’s identity, and the opening of the proceedings does not foreshadow their outcome.
According to CECU, the complaint was filed in 2025 against Idealista, Fotocasa and Alquiler Seguro over alleged irregularities in the energy information in their listings. The organisation said that, in its analysis, 33.8% of the listings examined did not include an energy label and 74.2% contained information it considered potentially misleading. Those figures are from CECU’s analysis; they do not, in themselves, establish the liability of the portal now under investigation.
Energy information is one of the issues that prompted the complaint: the regulations cited by CECU require it to be included in sale or rental offers and provide for responsibilities for portals and intermediaries. The investigation will determine which facts are attributed to the company facing proceedings and whether they constitute an infringement.
Consumer Affairs considers that unfair commercial practices may constitute a serious administrative infringement. If an infringement were established, penalties could reach €100,000 or be calculated based on the illicit benefit obtained, in an amount of between four and six times that benefit, according to information released about the proceedings. The specific penalty will depend on the facts proven and how they are classified; there is currently no final decision.
In parallel, the Directorate-General for Consumer Affairs announced that it would send a circular to the main property platforms informing them of the new advertising obligations included in the housing royal decree-law approved by the Council of Ministers and published in the Official State Gazette.
Article 20 regulates the advertising, promotion and offering of homes for rent. The information that must appear in listings includes the rental price reference index, where applicable, and the rent under the last habitual-residence rental contract in force during the previous five years, if one exists. The information available indicates that these requirements apply to listings in any municipality, regardless of whether the home is in a designated stressed area.
Where applicable, information must also be provided on the rent cap in areas subject to legal price restrictions and on whether the landlord is a large holder. Consumer Affairs has said it will monitor how the platforms adapt, but, according to the information released, the announced circular is intended to communicate the obligations; it does not, in itself, represent a conclusion on the proceedings opened.
The action adds to other recent interventions by the Ministry in the rental market. In April, it confirmed a €3.6 million fine against Alquiler Seguro, final at the administrative level, and in May it initiated another proceeding against a large real estate company over possible infringements. These are separate proceedings and do not make it possible to anticipate the outcome of the investigation into the portal.
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