The Digitalization of the Housing Market in Spain: A Case Study of the Use of Online Platforms and Spatial Inequalities

Ángela Mesa-Pedrazas, José Manuel Torrado, Isabel Palomares-Linares and Ricardo Duque-Calvache
Additional contact information
Ángela Mesa-Pedrazas: Department of Sociology, Universidad de Granada, Spain
José Manuel Torrado: Department of Sociology, Universidad de Granada, Spain
Isabel Palomares-Linares: Department of Sociology, Universidad de Granada, Spain
Ricardo Duque-Calvache: Department of Sociology, Universidad de Granada, Spain

Social Inclusion, 2026, vol. 14

Abstract: Online platforms are the main form of mediation in the housing market. While their importance has grown significantly in recent decades, that growth has been uneven throughout various territories and social groups. The role of online platforms goes beyond intermediation; the ease of access they provide stimulates market activity, while the concentration of listings on the same web portals homogenizes and raises prices. This article uses a unique database on housing supply for rentals and sales by census tract from Spain’s primary online housing portal between 2012 and 2021. Using data from this portal as a case study, we analyse how the gradual growth of the digital housing supply (in both space and time) is connected to changes in the distribution and characteristics of the housing units. Rental and sales markets show spatial differences, with opposing dynamics in rural and urban areas, highlighting a digital divide. Middle‐class urban areas, which also attract tourists, are the most active markets, while rural areas remain less dynamic. Housing in more active markets, in turn, appreciates, increasing territorial inequality. Rising prices benefit existing owners but are a disadvantage to potential buyers, especially lower‐income households. In that respect, our case study points to the conclusion that the digital divide in the use of online intermediation tools amplifies territorial and social inequalities.

Keywords: digital divide; housing; proptech; purchase; rental (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/11584 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:socinc:v14:y:2026:a:11584

DOI: 10.17645/si.11584

Access Statistics for this article

Social Inclusion is currently edited by Mariana Pires

More articles in Social Inclusion from Cogitatio Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by António Vieira () and IT Department ().