Government exempts family members from landlord-signed residence certificate

The government has amended the Immigration Service regulations to remove the obligation for certain family members to produce a landlord’s signed residence certificate when applying for a residence permit. The change, announced by government spokesperson Guillem Casal after the Council of Ministers, exempts spouses, registered partners and first‑degree relatives of the holder of a rental contract from that requirement.

Until now the rule required all applicants to present the owner’s authorization to regularize their residence. The modification was prompted by repeated cases in which some property owners refused to sign the document, creating administrative blockages for people seeking residency authorisation. The Justice Ministry and the Immigration Service judged the incidents sufficient to justify a targeted regulatory change, although authorities say they do not have precise figures on how many cases were affected.

Casal stressed that the certificate served solely to prove residence and that the original aim of the rule was to improve rental controls and prevent overcrowding, not to create unnecessary bureaucracy. The amendment is intended to simplify and speed up the accreditation process for family members and partners while keeping the regulation’s broader objectives intact.

Asked whether owners might have withheld signatures to pressure tenants into new contracts or higher rents, the spokesperson said there was no clear evidence that such motives were widespread. The government described the change as punctual and proportionate, designed to ensure that an owner’s refusal does not prevent eligible applicants from completing their immigration procedures.

Commentators note the measure resolves an immediate practical problem but also highlights a deeper issue: in a tight rental market, even small administrative requirements can become obstacles to accessing basic public services, and the absence of detailed data makes it harder to assess the full extent of the problem.