Search

Spain has traditionally shown one of the lowest levels of participation in the rented market within the housing system in Europe. Several authors have argued that housing policies oriented toward facilitating housing access have not paid enough attention to the development of the sector, except for decreasing its regulation. During the last decade, Spain, as many other European countries, has witnessed a relative increase in demand for rented dwellings and subsequent rent increases. A debate is taking place where possible regulation and alternative ways of increasing the rent supply are being discussed to ease the persistent problem of housing access of Spanish households. We argue in this paper that rent regulation cannot be decontextualised from the housing system, especially in countries like Spain where the rented sector has acted as social housing and tenants' financial vulnerability is high. We distinguish between measures with short term effects such a rent regulations and interventions addressing the lack of rent supply with a longer impact. Finally, we advocate for a national framework that allows enough regional and local freedom to adequately solve their rented housing situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Home ownership is the usual form of tenancy in Spain and is particularly widespread across all social classes for different historical and cultural reasons. In this context, multiple property ownership (MPO) is not limited to the wealthy. It takes on different forms that have different explanations. Statistics reveal the existence of millions of second homes, private rented properties and a vast number of vacant houses, all of which are illustrative of a complex residential environment. This paper aims to quantify and analyse the types of multiple property in Spain from the demand side, focusing on individual and household owners, drawing on a variety of quantitative data sources. On the aggregate level, the number and type of multiple properties varies depending on geographical factors (coast versus inland; rural versus urban) and the characteristics of the buildings. On the micro level, we have used individual variables to model the demand-side determinants of single property and MPO. This reveals that the relevant variables are not the same for the two groups. MPO in Spain is not only linked to socioeconomic status and savings capacity, pointing to the need for more differentiated explanations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the factors involved in young people's housing transitions in Spain which are typically characterised by late emancipation. The paper incorporates a comparative analysis of the housing transitions of young people in Spain with those of young people in other European countries and using longitudinal data it considers the particular impacts of the recent economic crisis. Most studies have linked late emancipation of Spanish youths to factors such as their employment status, difficulties accessing housing, the economic situation, social welfare policy, youth policy and a protective family culture. In particular, the main drivers of change highlighted in the literature are economic factors (education, employment status, housing, public policy and resources) and on the other hand, cultural factors such as attitudes towards home ownership and forming new households. However, there is very little research analysing the effects that the economic crisis has had on youth housing transitions in Spain. The objective of this paper is to provide insights on the effects the economic crisis is having on the housing market and on youth housing transitions in Spain. This is a complex issue; hence, the paper draws upon multiple data sources. The main conclusion is that the economic crisis has begun to change youth housing transitions in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The direct effect that an exogenous shock like the global financial crisis (GFC) had on the border between one form of tenure and another is particularly interesting in countries were owner-occupancy predominates. Right before the GFC, Spain was experiencing a major housing price bubble, allowing great expectations on housing equity gains together with extremely high numbers of mortgage-indebted households. The GFC represented a major threat for those households at the edges as their financial fragility increased. The aim of this paper is to identify why the edges of ownership in Spain came to be so precarious after the GFC and to assess how resilience is improved (considering both vulnerable households affected by the crisis and those that may be affected later) by securing the future of the edges of homeownership and reducing the volatility observed in an ownership-centred housing market. We will use the MDSR (Mortgage Debt Service Ratio) as an indicator of the higher vulnerability of those on the edges of homeownership. Looking at the consequences at the edges of the GFC in a home-ownership dominated market will provide the arguments for drawing up policies and actions for a new long-term tenure scenario in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]