The housing crisis that hits Spain has many faces. We usually talk about the abusive prices suffered by tenants, but the housing emergency also leaves worrying data regarding the housing conditions of citizens in cities like Madrid.
The Constitution protects the right to housing in its article 47. “All Spaniards have the right to enjoy decent and adequate housing (…),” it points out. Furthermore, in the case of Madrid, regional legislation requires a minimum of 38 square meters per home. Despite everything, in the Community about 15% of people have less than 20 square meters of surface area per person to live, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE).
According to real estate experts, although the legal minimum for a habitable home is 30 square meters at the state level, it is recommended that the minimum be about 40. The ideal size for a couple would be at least 60 square meters, enough for one or two rooms. , a bathroom, kitchen and living room. Therefore, 15% of Madrid residents live in homes below the legal limit or recommended by experts.
The gap between landlords and tenants
Another relevant point is the tenure regime, which is closely linked to income. 70% of Madrid residents own their homes compared to 26% who live in rented homes, a proportion higher than the national average. Income is a decisive factor for families when choosing the housing tenure regime: the higher the rent, the more owners and the lower the rent, the more tenants.
On the other hand, tenants are paying higher fees than owners in the city of Madrid. Those who buy homes have lower payment installments (mortgages) while those who rent have increasingly higher monthly payments.
What are the buildings like?
Homes in cities are usually found in large buildings. Even so, the Spanish case is especially accentuated since, according to EurostatSpain is, along with Latvia, the country in the European Union where more people live in flats and apartments compared to those who live in single-family or semi-detached homes. 74.5% of Madrid residents, three out of every four, live in buildings with ten or more homes.
On the other hand, around 27% of homes have less than one room per person, a situation in which at least two million Madrid residents find themselves (four out of ten).
Who has properties?
Regarding the sociological profile of the people who have housing, 85.8% of the households are exclusively Spanish citizens, with 7.8% of mixed households between Spaniards and foreigners. In terms of family structure, households with couples with children grew by 6.4% last year and in the case of homes in which there are families with children, couples represent eight out of ten family units, followed by single mothers with children and single parents.
Single-person households represent 30.9% of the total, with a greater trend among women over 65 years of age. Furthermore, 47.9% of households are couples, while single-parent households reach 9.6%. Regarding the age of the buildings, the aging of Madrid’s housing stock is clear: between 1961 and 2000, six out of every ten buildings that now make up the city’s real estate assets were built.
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