have been renting an apartment for 14 months in La Linea. The rent from the start was 504 euros per month. Last month it was increased to 600 euros per month with immediate effect and back dated for three months. I deal with an agency and not directly with the landlord. No one at the agency speaks English and my Spanish is not good. I’m sure that this is not legal. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the rent increase can be no more than the rate of inflation i.e. not the 20% that it has gone up by! Is it an illegal increase? If yes, what do i do next?

Normally, the landlord would be allowed to increase your rent by the annual IPC (increase in cost of living in Spain) which was just under 3%. However, it also depends on what´s written into the contract you signed which I presume is in Spanish, worth taking a look at. Your best bet is to take the contract and your receipts showing the increase to the local consumer office and consult them as to what you can do…