The data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) shows that rents fell in all regions except in Galicia where they increased by 0.3%, the Balearic Islands and Catalonia both up 0.1%, ad were static in Murcia and Navarra.
The most significant fall in rental prices were in La Rioja where they were down by 2% while in Castilla y Leónand Castilla-La Mancha rents fell by 0.9%, were down 0.8% in Madrid and Extremadura and down 0.7% in Asturias and Valencia.
The regions of Andalucía and Aragón registered the same rate of decline as the national average at 0.4%, while in Cantabria rents fell by 0.3% and the Canary Islands, the Basque Country and Ceuta all recorded declines of 0.2%.
But in the buying and selling market the news is more positive with the INE data showing that the Spanish housing market grew by 11% last year after bottoming out in 2014.
There were 318,055 home sales last year, the first time sales have risen above 300,000 a year, and following 260,000 in 2012 and 2013. But sales are still considerably below the 700,000 recorded before the global economic downturn in 2007.
In terms of percentage growth, the housing market expanded by 11% last year, after rising 4% in 2014, and according to Mark Stucklin of Spanish Property Insight this suggests that the market has finally turned around.
The crash in sales started back in 2008, and declined in five of the six years between 2008 and 2013, with dramatic double digit falls in most of those years. However, looking just at December, sales were up 8% year on year, meaning the market expanded every month in 2015, the first year that has happened since the crisis began.
There were 77,865 new home sales registered last year, and 276,267 resales, meaning that resales were 78% of the market, down from parity as recently as 2013. ‘The new homes market has failed to recover as quickly as resales in part due to a lack of new developments on offer, though sales may start to recovery this year as more new projects come on stream,’ Stucklin explained.
Of the selected regions most of interest to foreign buyers, Barcelona’s property market increased the most last year, up by 20%, but new home sales fell 20% while resales were up 32%. This was followed by Cadiz province, Las Palmas in the Canaries and the Balearics all up 15%.
Indeed, all regions were positive with the exception of Huelva, home to the North Western end of the Costa de la Luz, also known as the Spanish Algarve, where they fell by 2%.
‘The Spanish property market now looks to be on a growth path after years in crisis. Sales growth was particularly strong in the city provinces of Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia, plus coastal areas that attract foreign buyers like the Balearics and the Canaries,’ Stucklin said.
‘However, it is important to keep in mind that sales are increasing from a depressed base, and the market is still far from normal. If the Spanish economy continues to grow in 2016, and the supply of new homes in areas with demand increases, then it’s reasonable to expect another year of double-digit sales growth in 2016,’ he pointed out.
‘That said, risks abound that could derail the sales recovery, including political uncertainty at home, a UK referendum result in favour of leaving the European Union, a European banking crisis, and global financial turbulence,’ he added.
