Yes, Spain has been experiencing a housing crisis since the 2008 global financial crisis, with high levels of unemployment and eviction rates, as well as a shortage of affordable housing.
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Yes, Spain has been experiencing a housing crisis since the 2008 global financial crisis. According to a report by the European Commission, Spain has one of the highest poverty rates in the European Union, and the lack of affordable housing is a significant contributor to this issue.
The crisis has resulted in high levels of unemployment and eviction rates, as well as a shortage of affordable housing. One of the most significant issues is the number of empty homes throughout the country, with estimates suggesting that there could be as many as 3.5 million vacant properties. Despite this, many people still struggle to find affordable and suitable accommodation.
One of the main causes of the crisis is the impact of the 2008 financial crisis, which left many people struggling to keep up with mortgage payments. According to the Bank of Spain, there were around 200,000 evictions between 2008 and 2017.
The government has introduced a range of measures aimed at addressing the issue, including a recent rent control law, which limits annual rent increases to the rate of inflation. There are also plans to convert some of the vacant properties into social housing.
According to The Guardian, “Spain’s housing problem is more than bricks and mortar. Amid a precarious economic recovery, it is a powerful symbol of how the country’s growth model has failed to create sustainable jobs or provide affordable homes.”
Table:
Causes of the Housing Crisis in Spain | Impact of the Housing Crisis in Spain |
---|---|
– Overbuilding during the 2000s | – High levels of unemployment |
– The 2008 Financial Crisis | – High eviction rates |
– Lack of affordable housing | – Shortage of affordable housing |
– Empty homes | – Homelessness |
– Failure of the growth model | – Poverty |
Quote: “Spain’s ten-year property boom was one of the greatest economic bubbles the world has ever seen.” – Adam Neale, real estate agent.
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The rental housing crisis in Spain has caused alarming hike in rental prices leaving young renters paying up to 70% of their income towards rent. The number of Spaniards owning their homes, especially those under 35, has reduced dramatically to only 36% of the population. Renters are now organizing themselves demanding affordable housing, while experts believe that building social housing and persuading 3 million landlords to put their vacant houses back on the market is the viable solution to tackle the problem.
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Rents and house prices, alongside unemployment, are considered the biggest problems for people in Spain, particularly young people and low-income families.
Spanish citizens have struggled to find affordable housing in a nation with 21% of the population at risk of poverty as of 2020. Furthermore, roughly 7% of Spanish families live in severe poverty, according to El Pais. To top everything off, the hike in rental prices averages 50% over five years.
In 2021, Spain passed sweeping legislation to address the tight and expensive rental housing market. The Ley por el Derecho a Vivienda (Right to Housing Law) allows regional governments to impose rent caps in stressed markets. It also penalizes rental property owners who leave multiple units unrented for long periods.
Social housing in Spain makes up just 2.5% of all residences and a 2019 report by Amnesty International said scarcity of social housing in Spain has had a "devastating impact" on low-income families. Activists say the issue is compounded by the high number of homes owned by banks and investment funds that are left empty.
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