housing crisis
Brussels tells Spain to build more social housing as EU makes Spanish housing crisis ‘a priority’
BRUSSELS is calling on Spain to address its housing crisis through taking actions to strengthen its supply of social and affordable homes.
The European Commission has identified Spain’s housing crisis, and specifically its impact on young people as a top priority for the country to address.
According to the Bank of Spain, 40% of Spanish tenants are spending 40% of their income on rent. In comparison, the EU average is 27%.
It noted the massive growth in tourism in the country and demand for temporary accommodation had reduced the availability of homes for locals. However, it also called out Spain’s social housing shortage and slow construction as another reason for the crisis.
“Selective increases in housing development volumes could have fundamental benefits in Spain, as they would improve the absorption capacity of labor supply in metropolitan areas while boosting domestic supply,” the Commission document released on Wednesday said.
It recommended Spain: increase the housing supply by completing the reform of land law, reduce permit processing times for new builds, eliminate administrative bottlenecks, and address labor shortages in the construction sector.
READ MORE: Aid for young renters in Mallorca: €250 offered to combat housing crisis
DESPITE the Malaga City Council’s plans to regulate tourist accommodation within the city, in reality it’s continuing to hand out new permits for apartment complexes.
Just last month, Urban Planning authorised three new apartment complexes in the neighbourhoods of Trinidad, Nueva Málaga, and El Molinillo, Diario Sur reported.
The Department of Environmental Sustainability has also processed the assessments for six more units in already renovated buildings and new builds.
READ MORE: Malaga hotels boss calls tourismophobia in Spain ‘extremely dangerous’
This is despite the council’s approval of measures to limit and curb the growth of vacation rental apartments in the past year.
Delays in those regulating measures have been attributed to an ongoing report on tourism in the city, which was contracted to a Madrid company in April and given a 12-month deadline.
The Urban Planning Department has explained that “once the study is completed, the report will be reviewed and legally compiled,” which will support a modification to the General Urban Development Plan (PGOU) regulating tourist uses in the city, including apartment complexes, hostels, guesthouses, and hotels of various categories.
Currently, permits for converting commercial premises into housing accounts for seven out of ten building permits being filed for residential use.
READ MORE: Malaga politicos take demands for a Costa del Sol train to Brussels and bypass Madrid
Andalucia
Malaga Continues To Hand Out New Tourist Apartment Permits Despite Housing Backlash – Olive Press News Spain
STUDENTS studying in Seville have to pay an average of €350 for just a room in the Andalusian capital.
The rental market in Seville has already increased by six percent compared to last year.
A new study released by Live4Life, the first Spanish online rental platform offered just to students found that in 2023, the rental costs for a room in Seville was €300, and it’s already increased by €50 extra in just two years.
That’s an extra €50 that students could be spending on their studies, their extracurricular activities, and putting back into their savings to plan for their future.
READ MORE: Aid for young renters in Mallorca: €250 offered to combat housing crisis
Instead, they’re having to work extra hours, ask parents for extra money, and fundraise, when they should be having the time of their lives, learning about themselves and growing into their future careers.
Seville is not the only city putting increasing pressure on its students.
In Alicante, the increase for rental costs for students was 23 percent in the past year, the highest ever.
In Valencia, the increase was 14 percent, and in Madrid, it was 10 percent.
Students – not on full time wages – are facing the same rental costs for those who work full time.
Live4Life Seville office director Andy Reyes recommended students hoping to study in Seville look to Tiro de Linea, Macarena, and Oliva to find rooms still averaging around €300 a month.
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