GARBE Urban Real Estate Spain is expanding its presence in the Spanish housing market. The company has acquired two plots of land with a total area of approximately 2,500 square metres in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, a municipality in the greater Barcelona area. These plots are intended for the development of 50 publicly subsidised rental apartments with a planned total living area of approximately 4,300 square metres.
Planning permission for the construction project has already been granted. Construction is expected to begin later this year. Christoph Reschke, Managing Director of GARBE Reside, emphasised that this is the second residential construction project in the greater Barcelona area within a short period and represents the consistent continuation of the expansion of the Spanish business. The aim is to expand activities in the most important Spanish metropolitan regions in the long term, covering various segments of the housing market, including privately financed and publicly subsidised housing. Barcelona serves as an important starting point, while further acquisitions, including in Madrid and Valencia, are already being worked on.
Subsidised housing in a high-demand region
Santa Perpètua de Mogoda is located in the Barcelona catchment area and is well connected to the metropolitan region by public transport and the road network. By creating 50 subsidised rental apartments, GARBE is responding to the high demand for affordable housing in this region. The tense situation in the rental housing market is evidenced by current data from the Spanish research centre Observatorio del Alquiler: In the second quarter of 2026, an average of 418 prospective tenants applied for a rental property within the first ten days in the province of Barcelona, which is the highest figure of all Spanish provinces.
Sven Schoel, Country Head Spain at GARBE, stated that the greater Barcelona area is among the regions where the high demand for additional housing is particularly evident. The project in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda creates subsidised rental housing in a well-connected location. The existing planning permission allows for a prompt start to the project. He described the project as another step in building the residential real estate business in Spain.
Extended commitment in Barcelona
In addition to the current acquisition in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, GARBE is already developing a residential complex with 113 privately financed residential units in Barcelona. This project is being built on a plot of approximately 3,200 square metres in the Prat Vermell development area, which is located between Plaça Cerdà and Zona Franca. Completion of this residential complex is scheduled for summer 2028.
