A new bill builds on the 2024 rent cap
Brugada's "Rentas Justas" proposal would fine landlords MXN 11,731 to 46,924, about $631 to $2,520, for rent increases above inflation. It would also require contracts to be registered within 30 days, establish a minimum lease term of one year and prohibit charging tenants agent or credit-check fees, according to TheLatinvestor. As of October 2026, the bill had not become law; congressional committees had up to 90 working days to report.
The proposal follows an August 2024 decree amending Articles 2448-D and 2448-F of the Civil Code for the Federal District. Published in Mexico City's Official Gazette, that reform replaced a 10% limit on rent increases with a ceiling tied to the previous year's inflation rate reported by the Bank of Mexico.
Before the decree, the city's head of government had reported that rents in none of the boroughs fell below the city's minimum wage, while average rents in nine of 13 boroughs exceeded twice that wage. Government figures also indicate that uncontrolled housing price increases displace more than 20,000 households annually in the capital.
The 2024 reform required landlords to enter lease agreements in a city-managed digital registry within 30 days of signing. It also prohibited rejecting tenants because they have children or pets. Failure to register a lease makes it substantially harder for a landlord to invoke legal protections in a tenant dispute.
More apartments, but rents remain higher
Housing costs were climbing well before the tournament, which Mexico hosted in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey alongside co-hosts the United States and Canada. Average rents in the capital finished 2025 between 12% and 15% above their 2024 levels.
The increases were particularly steep in some neighborhoods near the former Azteca Stadium. In a June 3 report, The Rio Times described monthly rents roughly doubling ahead of the World Cup, from about MXN 7,000-8,000, or $380-$430, to MXN 17,000-18,000, or $920-$970.
A citywide benchmark showed a smaller increase. The Inmuebles24 index, cited by TheLatinvestor, recorded a monthly asking rent of MXN 21,921 for a standard 65-square-meter, two-bedroom apartment in June 2026. That represented a 9.6% annual increase, while the rise during June itself, when the tournament began, was 0.5%.
After the World Cup, some owners moved properties from Airbnb and similar short-term platforms back into long-term rentals. El Economista reported on July 31 that Homie.mx estimated the city's apartment rental supply had grown about 10% following the tournament. Inventory on Homie.mx itself increased at least 35%. Even so, the company reported annual rent increases of 25% to 30%.
Short-term rental rules stalled during the tournament
The shift toward tourist accommodation had already reduced the supply of conventional rentals. The Thomson Reuters Institute's housing analysis cited a rate of three Mexico City homes becoming Airbnb listings every 48 hours. The Rio Times separately reported that short-term rental supply had expanded about 30% since 2023, from roughly 18,000 listings to about 24,000 by 2026, with corporate operators increasingly dominating the market. It estimated that 11% to 20% of housing in the central Cuauhtémoc borough was listed on short-term platforms.
A separate registry for short-term-rental hosts formally took effect on May 21, 2026, giving hosts and platforms 30 days to register. But the digital system was never fully built, according to The Rio Times. Legal challenges, known as amparos, brought by hosts and platforms suspended both the registry and a 180-day annual limit on tourist rentals. Neither rule was enforced during the World Cup window.
Rental platforms accommodated 32% of overnight visitors during the tournament period, according to Tourism Ministry figures reported by TheLatinvestor. Between June 8 and July 19, the ministry counted 4.4 million travelers and MXN 25.9 billion in tourist spending in Mexico City, with spending 41% above the same weeks in 2025.
By September, AirDNA counted 25,568 active listings across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com, a decline of 27.8% from a year earlier, according to TheLatinvestor. Over the year through September 2026, the average nightly rate was $91, up 5.8% from the previous year, and occupancy was 64%.
Where the existing protections stop
Mexico's Supreme Court upheld Article 2448-D on February 25, 2026, according to TheLatinvestor. The provision limits annual increases on an existing residential rental to the previous year's inflation rate, setting the ceiling at 3.69% for 2026 renewals. The court also confirmed that the initial rent under a new lease remains open to negotiation.
The Thomson Reuters Institute identifies limits in the reform's reach, including its application under specific conditions, notably when a lease has been in place for at least three years. A landlord can avoid the cap by declining to renew an agreement and instead requiring a new contract at a higher rent.
Informal renting presents another barrier. INEGI's National Housing Survey puts the number of rental arrangements without formal contracts in Mexico City at more than 200,000. The institute's analysis argues that low tax compliance and the obligation for landlords to enter a tax regime that increases their burden complicate efforts to formalize those arrangements.
The same analysis warns that requiring rental income to be declared could encourage some informal landlords to avoid oversight rather than register. It recommends pairing enforcement with tax benefits for registered contracts, accessible digital registration and legal protections that benefit both parties. Formal agreements protect tenants' rights while also giving landlords a legal basis for enforcing rental terms.
Housing funding in the infrastructure plan
Alongside rental regulation, the city planned more than MXN 57.91 billion in infrastructure investment for 2026, an increase of 31.2% over 2025, Excélsior reported on January 1. The World Cup-framed plan included about MXN 19 billion for water and drainage, including pipes near the host stadium, and MXN 9 billion for housing production, improvements and financing programs.
