With rules of its own
Coliving regulation in Madrid, Spain: the "residencia compartida" in the city plan (2026)
Yes, Madrid has rules of its own. The amendment to the Planning Rules of the 1997 Madrid General Plan, published in the BOCM on 27 November 2023, created the "residencia compartida" (shared residence): people with no tie between them, each with a unit of bedroom and bathroom, sharing living, work and leisure spaces. It is residential use, not hospitality, and it is only allowed in a dedicated building. Here are the articles, the figures and what the rule leaves out.
The general guide to coliving regulation in Spain →
The short answer
Madrid is, together with Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and Galicia, one of the Spanish regions with a figure of its own for what the market calls coliving. The rule does not use that word: it speaks of residencia compartida (shared residence), and it sits not in a regional housing act but in the Planning Rules of the city's General Plan. It therefore governs within the municipality of Madrid; every other municipality in the Madrid region has its own planning, which this page does not cover.
The essentials fit in three lines: it is residential use, not hospitality; each private unit has at least 15 m² with a bedroom and bathroom; and it can only be established in a dedicated building (Art. 7.3.11(5)). A single flat inside a block of homes does not fit this figure.
What the rule says
The amendment was approved by Agreement of the Madrid Regional Governing Council of 8 November 2023 (BOCM no. 271) and its full text was published in BOCM no. 282 of 27 November 2023. Within residential use —the use that serves "to provide permanent accommodation to people" (Art. 7.3.1(1))— it defines the residence class, meant for the stable accommodation of people who do not form a unit with the usual behaviour of a family, and splits it into two categories.
- Residencia comunitaria (community residence, Art. 7.3.1.2(b)(i)): groups with religious, social or similar ties. Student residences and religious residences fall here; but colegios mayores and residences directly linked to a university centre are educational facilities, not residential use (Art. 7.10.3).
- Residencia compartida (shared residence, Art. 7.3.1.2(b)(ii)): people without that tie, with a private unit and common spaces. This is the coliving figure.
Residencia compartida: Aquella destinada al alojamiento estable de personas a las que no necesariamente les unan vínculos de carácter religioso, social o similar, las cuales disponen de unidades de alojamiento privativas y comparten los espacios de estancia, trabajo y ocio. ("Shared residence: that intended for the stable accommodation of people who are not necessarily bound by religious, social or similar ties, who have private accommodation units and share the living, work and leisure spaces.")
The same amendment creates, within the dwelling class, collective housing type 2 (vivienda colectiva tipo 2, Art. 7.3.1.2(a)(i)): homes that complete their layout with a private space and a shared living and leisure space. That is where cohousing fits, and it is not the shared residence: there, each unit is still a home.
The conditions
| Condition | What it requires | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Private unit | Bedroom and bathroom, with at least 15 m² and never less than 10 m² per person | 7.3.11(3) |
| Common areas | At least a living-dining room, kitchen and laundry and drying area: 25 m² for one unit plus 5 m² for each additional unit | 7.3.11(3) |
| Outside light and height | The whole meets the outward-facing and ceiling-height conditions set for homes | 7.3.3 and 7.3.5, by reference from 7.3.11(3) |
| Floor | No unit below the ground floor or with its floor below the adjoining ground | 7.3.11(4) |
| Building | Only in a dedicated building | 7.3.11(5) |
| Safety | The fire safety and safety-in-use and accessibility basic documents of the Spanish Building Code (Código Técnico de la Edificación) | 7.3.11(6) |
Source: BOCM no. 282 of 27 November 2023.
How the common-area sum works, with an example: a building with twenty units needs at least 25 + 19 × 5 = 120 m² of living-dining room, kitchen and laundry combined. Above that minimum, the rule allows "other areas for other purposes". Establishing one goes through the municipal licence.
The so-called Plan Reside —the amendment to the General Plan for the protection and improvement of residential use, approved by Agreement of 27 August 2025 (BOCM no. 211, 4/9/2025)— keeps these categories and allows "residencia comunitaria y compartida" (community and shared residence) when listed buildings on private facility plots are brought back into residential use.
What the rule does not say
Worth knowing
The rule sets the building and the floor areas, not the relationship with the resident. It sets no minimum or maximum stay, requires no single operator or standard contract, and does not say which tenancy regime applies: that is still the LAU, Spain's Urban Leases Act. Nor does it use the word "coliving". And the dedicated-building requirement rules out turning a single flat in a block of homes into a shared residence.
On whether it is in force: ruling 519/2025 of the Madrid High Court of Justice partly annulled this amendment, but in articles unrelated to residences (7.12.1, 7.8.4.3(a), 7.8.5.2(a) and 8.1.9.1(b), on public administration, green areas and works), not in the 7.3 articles. That comes from a secondary source: the notice in the BOCM could not be verified.
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 a flat inside a residential block in Madrid?
Not as a shared residence. Article 7.3.11(5) of the Planning Rules says shared residences may only be established in a dedicated building, so a single flat inside a block of homes does not fit this figure. Letting that flat room by room is something else: a tenancy under the LAU, whose Article 2(1) includes letting a single room, with the conditions of any home.
What is the minimum floor area of each unit?
Fifteen square metres, with a bedroom and bathroom, and never less than ten square metres per person: a unit for two people needs twenty. The common areas, at least a living-dining room, kitchen and laundry and drying area, add up to twenty-five square metres for one unit and five more for each additional unit. It is all in Article 7.3.11(3).
Is a coliving space in Madrid residential use or hospitality?
Residential. The shared residence is a category of the residence class within residential use, which Article 7.3.1(1) defines as the use that serves to provide permanent accommodation to people. It is not tertiary hospitality use. Establishing one goes through a municipal licence and has to meet the conditions of Article 7.3.11.
Does the rule set how long a resident can stay?
No. Articles 7.3.1.2(b) and 7.3.11 speak of stable accommodation, but they set no minimum or maximum stay, require no single operator and do not say which contract is signed. That part is settled by the Urban Leases Act according to what the person lives there for, as in any other region.
Is it still in force after the Madrid High Court ruling?
As far as could be verified, yes. Ruling 519/2025 of the Madrid High Court of Justice partly annulled the 2023 amendment, but in articles on public administration, green areas and works, not in the 7.3 articles on shared residences. That comes from a secondary source: the notice in the BOCM could not be located.
Other regions
- 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.
- GaliciaRules of its own since 1 January 2026: shared accommodation under Act 8/2012, by public or private developers and with 30 m² of usable area per unit.
- 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.