Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
SPANISH Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced plans to remove 53,000 tourist apartments from rental platforms across Spain – with 6,000 of them located in Malaga province.
The announcement was made by the socialist leader at a demonstration at the University of Malaga, after visiting a site of affordable housing construction.
Speaking to supporters, Sanchez declared that his government had detected ‘thousands of irregularities’ in properties listed as holiday rentals after analysing data from Spain’s unique rental registry.
The Prime Minister said these problematic properties would be ‘removed’ from the registry and converted into permanent rental accommodation for young people and families.
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Sanchez announced that he would demand 53,000 flats be removed because they did not meet the regulations. These will then be rented out permanently to families and youths in this nation.
“That is governing for the people – that’s what we do from the PSOE.”
The move comes amid a housing crisis in Spain that has seen rents increase by 80% during the past decade and far exceed wage growth.
Nearly half of all tenants now spend 40% of their income on rent and utilities – significantly higher than the EU average of 27%.
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Tourism rental boom is blamed for exacerbating housing shortages, especially in popular coastal destinations such as the Costa del Sol where long-term and local residents struggle to find affordable accommodations.
During his visit to Malaga, Sanchez addressed a number of other issues including the Gaza situation and the upcoming regional elections.
Sanchez is pursuing a broader strategy in order to recover ground lost during recent regional elections.
He formed a coalition government despite finishing second at the 2023 snap elections. Housing is a priority.
The Olive Press has more Malaga News. Click here to read it.
