To update a rent in Spain you multiply it by (1 + index ÷ 100), once a year, on the contract anniversary. For contracts signed on or after 26 May 2023 the increase cannot exceed the IRAV (Índice de Referencia de Arrendamientos de Vivienda, the rental reference index published by INE, Spain's National Statistics Institute), which was 2.47% in August 2026: €900 becomes €922.23. For older contracts the agreed clause applies, usually the CPI (IPC) (4.3% in August 2026).
The calculator above picks the reference month using INE's actual publication dates and checks the legal caps that affect your contract. If you would rather go through each step slowly, read the guide (in Spanish) how to update a rent with the IPC or the IRAV.
How is a rent update calculated?
New rent = current rent × (1 + index change ÷ 100)
The change is the annual rate that INE publishes for the reference month. Article 18.1 of the Urban Leases Act (LAU) says which month counts: that of the latest index published on the update date, that is, the day the contract year is completed. INE publishes each figure around the middle of the following month. If the anniversary falls after that publication, the previous month counts; if it falls before, the month two months earlier. For example, the August 2026 figure was published on 15/09/2026: a contract with its anniversary on 20 September uses August; one on 10 September uses July.
The CPI “flash estimate” (indicador adelantado) that INE publishes at the end of each month is not the final CPI and is not used to update rents (the one for September 2026, 4.9%, does not count yet).
Which index applies to my contract?
First comes what the contract says: without an update clause, the rent cannot be raised while the contract runs. After that, the signing date decides which legal limits apply:
| Contract signed | What applies | Legal cap |
|---|---|---|
| From 26/05/2023 | The agreed clause (IRAV, CPI or other) | IRAV for the reference month, for updates from 1/01/2025 |
| 6/03/2019 to 25/05/2023 | The agreed clause, usually the CPI | CPI for the reference month |
| 1/04/2015 to 5/03/2019 | The agreed clause | None in general (except 19/12/2018 to 23/01/2019: CPI) |
| Clause to update without naming an index (from 1/04/2015) | IGC, bounded between 0% and 2% | The same |
| No update clause | No update (art. 18.1 LAU) | |
There were also temporary caps for all contracts: between 31/03/2022 and 31/12/2023, without a new agreement with the tenant, the increase could not exceed the change in the IGC (in practice, 2% at most), and in 2024, 3% (article 46 of Royal Decree-law 6/2022). The calculator applies them if you choose a date in those years.
A debatable point: the wording of article 18 still names the CPI as the cap. The IRAV comes in through the eleventh additional provision of the LAU, added by Ley 12/2023, which sets it “as the reference limit for the purposes of article 18”. INE and the Ministry of Housing apply it to contracts signed from 26/05/2023, and that is what the calculator does.
What have the CPI and the IRAV been over the last 12 months?
| Month | General CPI (annual change) | IRAV | Published by INE |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 4.3% | 2.47% | 15/09/2026 |
| July 2026 | 3.6% | 2.49% | 13/08/2026 |
| June 2026 | 3.2% | 2.44% | 15/07/2026 |
| May 2026 | 3.2% | 2.48% | 12/06/2026 |
| April 2026 | 3.2% | 2.40% | 14/05/2026 |
| March 2026 | 3.4% | 2.47% | 14/04/2026 |
| February 2026 | 2.3% | 2.16% | 13/03/2026 |
| January 2026 | 2.3% | 2.14% | 13/02/2026 |
| December 2025 | 2.9% | 2.32% | 15/01/2026 |
| November 2025 | 3.0% | 2.29% | 12/12/2025 |
| October 2025 | 3.1% | 2.25% | 14/11/2025 |
| September 2025 | 3.0% | 2.22% | 15/10/2025 |
Source: INE, Consumer Price Index (series IPC290750) and INE, Residential Rental Reference Index (series IRAV1). Data downloaded on 07/10/2026. The IRAV and CPI for September 2026 are published on 14/10/2026.
How much does a €900 rent go up in 2026?
A flat let for €900 a month under a contract signed on 20/09/2024 completes its second year on 20/09/2026. On that day the latest published IRAV is the one for August 2026 (2.47%):
900 × (1 + 2.47 ÷ 100) = €922.23 a month
That is €22.23 more a month and €266.76 a year. Even if the contract said “CPI”, with 4.3% the rent would have gone up to €938.70, but in a 2024 contract the increase is capped at the IRAV. If the contract had been signed before 26/05/2023 with the CPI agreed, the CPI would apply.
See this example with the CPI agreed
When is the new rent payable and how do you notify it?
The update is not automatic. Under article 18.2 of the LAU, the updated rent is payable from the month after one party notifies the other in writing, stating the percentage applied. A note on the previous month's receipt is enough, and the tenant can ask for the INE certificate. If the landlord gives notice three months late, the increase is charged from the month after the notice, not from the anniversary. The text in step 03 includes those details so you only need to review and sign it.
Has anything changed in October 2026?
Not for now. Royal Decree-law 26/2026 wrote the IRAV into article 18 and set a 2% cap until the end of 2027, and Royal Decree-law 27/2026 changed contract extensions. Congress repealed both on 2 October 2026 (BOE-A-2026-20526 and BOE-A-2026-20527), so the rules in the table still apply. The 2% cap was only in force on 1 October 2026.