In the midst of the 13-O hangover, with housing at the center of a media whirlwind and the threat of a rent strike shaking the country, a few weeks ago the Government announced a shock measure that actually had little novelty: injection in the most obvious and definitive way to express their displeasure with the rental market on the streets during the 13-O period. 200 million Euro rental voucher for young people who show interest. Nothing surprising so far.

The famous rent checks were actually presented a few weeks ago, following the sectoral conference with the autonomous communities at the beginning of October, and this is not even the first time they have been distributed among the youngest tenants in Spain. The Royal Decree regulating these dates back to 2022. Its effect is not entirely clear. There are studies that cast doubt on whether such direct subsidies help landlords more than tenants, and the truth is that rents have not stopped rising in the last two years.

As the days pass, doubts continue to grow regarding the effectiveness and true scope of the so-called “Youth Rental Bonus”. And it makes sense that it should be so. From what is known so far, the call indicates something. such restrictive conditions and above all, it is a far cry from the current parameters of the rental market in Spain, which is doomed to failure in many cities.

600 Euros per month: the magic number

Idealista, the result of searching for apartments for rent in Madrid for less than 600 Euros.

In some cities, it will be nearly impossible to qualify for assistance. And not because there are no young tenants. The problem is that the voucher is designed for rents that are far from what is paid today in metropolises such as Madrid, Malaga or Barcelona.

To understand this, it is useful to examine the principles of the aid, which are included both in the decree regulating the initiative and on the website of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda, which is responsible for the promotion. The idea is simple: Bonus is nothing but help 250 euros per month The administration also wants rents to be less of a burden on the pockets of the youngest.

To qualify, you must be between 18 and 35 years old, have a job and, above all, have an income level of less than three times the Multiple Impact Public Income Indicator (IPREM), i.e. a split of approximately 21,600 euros per year. It is divided into 12 payments.

Nothing remarkable so far. Aid is processed through the autonomous communities to which the Administration has distributed 200 million. In fact, when announcing the bonuses, the Government requested regional governments to accelerate these bonuses and add a complementary contribution. Following the announcement at the beginning of the month, the Council of Ministers gave the green light to his departure.

If you meet all the conditions and are lucky enough to receive the bonus, the “permio” you will pay for your home will be 6,000 euros, distributed at the rate of 250 euros per month for two years. The bonus is also compatible with other benefits, albeit in lowercase letters. For example, it can be combined with a Housing Access Plan, but its total cannot exceed: 75% of the total rent.

The problem is not incompatibilities or requirements that applicants must meet. No. The problem is the conditions imposed on the houses themselves. This does not mean that you have not yet turned 35 and your income is within the parameters set by the call; To qualify for the bonus, the apartment you rent must meet certain conditions, especially regarding price. It is these conditions that push the program away from the current market.

Both the royal decree and the Ministry of Housing’s portal to the program are very clear on this issue. To receive the bonus, the cost of the apartment you live in as a tenant cannot be paid. more than 600 euros monthly. If you pay for a room in the shared house the limit is 300 euros. These limits may be extended in certain cases and at any time with the approval of the Program Monitoring Commission, but they cannot be extended indefinitely.

They max out at 900 and 450 respectively.

The million dollar question is… Is it easy to find a house at these prices?

Spoiler: no.

Idealista, the result of searching for apartments for rent in Barcelona for less than 600 Euros.

Idealista result for search of apartments for rent in Santa Cruz de Tenerife for less than 600 Euros.

Idealista search results for apartments for rent in Malaga province for less than 600 Euros.

Especially if you live in certain provinces and cities of Spain. Fotocasa responded a few days ago. After pulling out his calculator and examining his own listings, he concluded that only 6% of rental houses in the country today cost less than 600 euros per month. He could not find an apartment renting below this amount in cities such as Vitoria, Palma de Mallorca, San Sebastián or Pamplona.

Will things change if we increase the limit foreseen in the program to 900 euros per month? Yes, but not really. Currently, only 31% of rental apartments comply with this limit, according to Fotocasa data.

If we go down more detailed We found that in Barcelona 0.1% of apartments were rented for less than 600 euros, and in Madrid this rate was not that high, only 0.3%. In Valencia they represent 0.4%, and in Santander and Santa Cruz de Tenerife they represent 0.4% and 1.2% respectively. When we increase the limit to 900 euros per month, we get 1.2% of the apartments in Fotocasa in Barcelona, ​​6% in Madrid, 0.2% in Palma and 1.5% in San Sebastián. We were able to rent it.

Idealista, search results for apartments for rent in the Balearic Islands for less than 600 Euros.

Idealista is the result of your search for apartments for rent in the province of Zaragoza for less than 600 Euros.

Idealista, the result of searching for apartments for rent in Seville for less than 600 Euros.

Clearly not in the whole country such small percentages are considered. Fotocasa calculates that a young person interested in a rental voucher in Palencia will be able to choose from 55% of the apartments offered. Between 52% in Ciudad Real and 36% in Lugo, to give a few examples. With a monthly limit of 900 Euros, the range of options in Ávila or Jaen is also quite wide.

These are Fotocasa’s data. In Xataka, we turned to another property portal, Idealista, to take a second “snapshot” of the residential rental market and find out to what extent the Government premium can be achieved with the criteria announced today: maximum rents of 600 euros, expandable to 900 per month in certain cases. Conclusion It’s more or less the same: It’s hard to find homes at these prices, depending on where you live. very very difficult.

Let’s see. Yesterday afternoon Idealista announced 73 apartments or houses for rent in the province of Álava. None for less than 600 euros a month. Something similar happened in Guipúzcoa. None of the 328 homes available were for less than 600 euros per month. In the Balearic Islands, percentages are negligible: we found two options among approximately 3,800 rental apartments and houses in this price range (0-600). There are very small rates in Madrid (24 out of 9,405) and Barcelona (41 out of 6,338).

Before continuing, it is useful to clarify two points. The government announced that the program was implemented in all autonomous communities, as well as in Ceuta and Melilla, with the exception of the Basque Country and Navarra, the former of which “developed their own aid programs” due to their regional regimes. The second is that we include both long-term rentals and seasonal rentals when searching on Idealista; This is a category that the Government wants to approach more closely. avoiding fraud.

If we excluded these, the percentages would be lower.

With both questions clarified, if we continue the search for houses or apartments for rent under 600 euros per month, the conclusion is clear: in most provinces they are a minority. Of course, there are exceptions such as Cáceres, Ciudad Real, Badajoz, Palencia or Teruel, where they represent a significant part of the market; However, in general, it will not be easy for a tenant who wants to choose the bonus.

Moreover, as the newspaper revealed on Monday, there are cities such as Valencia where the supply of houses for under 600 euros is disappearing Levant.

Pictures | Logan Armstrong (Unsplash) and Idealista (own captures)

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