The government met with a broad range of real estate sector representatives this morning to outline its housing policy and its underlying goals. Raquel Sánchez, Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, emphasized the significance of the gathering for delivering structural solutions that improve housing access, noting that progress depends on consensus across many sectors. The minister said at the subsequent press briefing that the measures announced are fully supported and that the administration is mobilizing every available resource to advance housing nationwide. The meeting, she added, helped align everyone toward a common direction.
She underscored that all proposed measures have been well received at the highest levels of government and that the housing issue is treated as a national priority. The gathering was attended not only by the minister herself but also by the head of government and other senior officials, including Pedro Sánchez, Nadia Calviño, the First Vice President and Minister of Economy and Digital Transition, and Margarita Robles, the Defense Secretary. In addition to executive leadership, representatives from major industry bodies participated, such as the Spanish Association of Promoters and Builders, the National Confederation of Construction, and other important entities like Sareb, Sepes, and the Housing, Infrastructure and Equipment Defense Institute. Unions and groups of architects were present as well.
However, some stakeholders were not represented in person. Individual property owners, banks, and investment funds represented by the Association of Rental Housing Owners (ASVAL) and tenant associations did not attend. When asked about this gap, the minister noted that assessments had already been made during the drafting of the Zoning Law and stressed that the government has consistently listened to the industry and any agencies with a voice in the process.
Axes of the government’s housing policy
The first pillar highlighted by the executive team is the expansion of the housing budget. The minister stated that the initial budget stood at 475 million euros and has been multiplied eightfold. General government budgets now project the largest ever allocation to housing, totaling 3,462 million euros. An additional 9,000 million euros have already been earmarked for housing policy, underscoring a strong commitment to expanding access to housing for citizens across the country.
Attention was also given to the Housing Act, described as a foundational tool to support welfare policy. It was emphasized that this legislation is designed to benefit all actors, including smallholders, and that it should be implemented by all public authorities. The third pillar focuses on publicly built affordable and socially rented housing stock. The minister pointed to current figures, noting that Spain still has fewer than 300,000 public homes, which account for roughly 1.6 percent of the housing stock and between 2.5 and 3 percent of total stock. The goal is to raise the public housing share to around 9 percent, with ambitions to move toward levels observed in more developed countries where public housing reaches 20 percent of the stock.
Finally, the minister referenced the Sunday announcement by the head of government about creating a government-backed guarantee line for home purchases. The cabinet was set to approve the measure, with projections indicating that up to 50,000 young people and families with dependents could benefit from the program in its initial phase.
Discussion with Podemos on guarantees
Ione Belarra, the Minister of Social Rights and the 2030 Agenda and secretary general of Podemos, criticized the proposal to support home purchases via social media, arguing that some past approaches in other countries have failed unless aligned with Podemos principles. She called for full implementation of the Housing Code in a broader policy framework. The housing strategy team, including Raquel Sánchez, emphasized that the proposal is only one option among many and should be considered as part of a holistic set of measures. The focus remains on boosting rental housing while recognizing that many families and young people still seek the option to buy and require clear, credible answers.