With rules of its own
Coliving regulation in Galicia, Spain: shared accommodation under the Housing Act (2026)
Yes, since 1 January 2026. Galician Act 5/2025 on tax and administrative measures rewrote Ley 8/2012 de vivienda de Galicia (the Galician Housing Act) and opened "alojamiento compartido" (shared accommodation) to any developer, public or private. It is residential use, compatible with tertiary use whatever the plan says; each unit has at least 30 m² of usable area and counts as a home, and the building must have common spaces. During 2025 the figure existed only for young people and with a public developer.
The general guide to coliving regulation in Spain →
The short answer
Galicia gave a figure of its own to what the market calls coliving on 1 January 2026, and it did so within its housing act, not in municipal planning. Since that date, Act 8/2012 calls alojamiento compartido (shared accommodation) a residential building by a public or private developer with private units and common-use spaces.
What matters most for a project is in Art. 89(2): for the purposes of calculating buildable floor area, shared accommodation is residential use, and that use is "en todo caso, compatible con el uso terciario, con independencia de lo que determine el plan" (in any case compatible with tertiary use, regardless of what the plan determines) for the plot. In Catalonia, by contrast, the act places its figure on land zoned for housing uses (Art. 18 bis(1) of Llei 18/2007).
What the rule says
Alojamiento compartido: la edificación residencial impulsada por un promotor público o privado, apta para ser habitada, destinada a resolver la necesidad de residencia de personas o unidades de convivencia […]. Tales alojamientos compartidos deberán disponer de espacios de uso común que complementen su disfrute. ("Shared accommodation: a residential building promoted by a public or private developer, fit to be lived in, intended to meet the residential needs of people or household units […]. Such shared accommodation must have common-use spaces that complement its enjoyment.")
Art. 89 (Section 3), as worded in DOG no. 252 of 31 December 2025, sets out the regime. Its private units "tendrán la consideración de viviendas" (shall be treated as homes) for the purposes of the housing act (Art. 89(3)(a)); they can be classed as a protected housing scheme if a programme of the Galician Housing and Land Institute or a public-land tender provides for it (Art. 89(1)); and the parking reserve of Art. 42(2)(c) of Galician Land Act 2/2016 does not apply to them: there is one space per 150 m² of private floor area, and the plan cannot ask for more (Art. 89(3)(c)).
The figure existed before with a different scope. Act 5/2024 of 27 December (Art. 79) created "alojamientos compartidos para la juventud" (shared accommodation for young people), only by public developers and for transitional use, which today is Art. 89 bis. The general 2026 definition no longer requires the stay to be transitional.
The conditions
Habitability conditions are left to regulations (Art. 89(4)). Until they are issued, the 26th additional provision applies, setting the areas of each unit, the common spaces and their minimums.
| Condition | What it requires | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Private unit | At least 30 m² of usable area, treated as a home | Art. 89(3)(a) |
| Areas within the unit | Living, cooking, eating, sleeping and washing; a single room for living, eating, cooking and sleeping is allowed, with the bathroom as a separate room | AP 26(1)(a) |
| Common-use spaces | Laundry and drying, flexible-use areas, cleaning rooms and toilets next to the flexible areas | Art. 89(3)(b) and AP 26(1)(b) |
| Flexible-use area | 5 m² per home, with at least 25 m² per room | AP 26(2)(b), table 2 |
| Use | Residential for buildable-area purposes, common spaces included; compatible with tertiary use | Art. 89(2) |
| Parking | One space per 150 m² of private area, without the reserve of Art. 42(2)(c) of Act 2/2016 | Art. 89(3)(c) |
Source: Act 5/2025, Art. 59, DOG no. 252 of 31 December 2025.
The same table 2 sets the laundry room and the natural drying area at 0.33 m² per home, with at least 4 m² per room. The consolidated text of Act 8/2012 in the BOE already includes this wording.
What the rule does not say
Worth knowing
The act does not use the word "coliving", sets no maximum stay and requires no manager or operator, and Art. 89 only lists the types of common space: the figures come from the 26th additional provision, which is transitional until regulations are issued. Nor should the figure be confused with the "viviendas colaborativas" (collaborative homes) of the Order of 10 October 2022, which are a care centre for people aged 55 or over, not coliving.
What doesn't change
The contract with the resident and the obligations of running the operation do not depend on the region, and they are in the general guide to coliving regulation in Spain. To choose between a residential tenancy and another use, see LAU: residential or other use.
Frequently asked questions
Can I open a coliving space in Galicia with a private developer?
Yes, since 1 January 2026. Article 4(a) of Act 8/2012, as worded by Act 5/2025, defines shared accommodation as a residential building promoted by a public or private developer. Until that date the figure existed only for young people, with a public developer and transitional use, and that version is now Article 89 bis.
What minimum floor area does each unit need?
Thirty square metres of usable area. Article 89(3)(a) says so: private residential units are treated as homes for the purposes of the act and their usable area cannot be less than 30 square metres. The 26th additional provision also sets the areas each unit must have and the minimums for the common spaces.
Is a coliving space in Galicia residential or tertiary use?
Residential, for the purposes of calculating buildable floor area, and the common-use spaces too. Article 89(2) adds that this use shall in any case be compatible with tertiary use, regardless of what is determined by the plan that set the detailed zoning of the area where the plot lies.
Is parking required?
Yes, with a rule of its own. Article 89(3)(c) exempts shared accommodation from the reserve of Article 42(2)(c) of Galician Land Act 2/2016 and sets one vehicle space per 150 square metres of private floor area, and urban planning cannot require a higher number.
Are Galicia's collaborative homes coliving?
No. The Order of 10 October 2022 regulates collaborative homes as a care centre for older people, from the age of 55 and with rooms of at least 12 square metres. It is a different figure, belonging to social services. The coliving figure is the shared accommodation of Articles 4(a) and 89 of Act 8/2012.
Other regions
- MadridRules of its own since November 2023: the "residencia compartida" (shared residence) of the General Plan's Planning Rules, a residential use allowed only in a dedicated building.
- CataloniaRules of its own since December 2020: housing with complementary common spaces under Llei 18/2007, with a certificate of occupancy and no horizontal division of the building.
- Valencian CommunityPartial rules: Act 3/2023 only regulates not-for-profit collaborative housing; operator-run coliving has no figure of its own, and the city of València is processing it in its General Plan.
- AndalusiaPartial rules: Act 5/2025 has defined coliving (Art. 4(j)) since 24 January 2026, but the minimum floor area depends on regulations that have not been issued.
- Balearic IslandsRules of its own since May 2024: housing with complementary common spaces under Llei 5/2018, with a single certificate of occupancy for the building and no horizontal property.
- Basque CountryPartial rules: Decree 80/2022 only sets the habitability of collaborative housing; use, licensing and the contract have no rule of their own.
- Canary IslandsRules of its own since February 2024: housing with complementary common spaces under Act 2/2003 and the floor areas of Decree-Law 1/2024, with regulations pending.