Applicants must prove they do not own a home with a document that is hard to obtain and costs at least eleven euros.
In Madrid and La Rioja, this document must be submitted for every cohabitant.
“We paid more than 60 euros to three of our colleagues for a procedure that we didn’t even know if it would help us,” recalls a young man from Madrid.
With Andalusia and the excluded Basque Country and Navarra planning to follow suit in the near future, all other autonomous communities have already opened their application windows. The youth rental bonus offers a subsidy of 250 euros per month for two years, a program the government announced last January. The general requirements are consistent nationwide: applicants should be between 18 and 35 and earn less than €23,725 annually. However, the specific documents required vary by region. In practice, young people seeking subsidies cannot become homeowners, a point these three communities enforced through a consented framework. The so‑called unknown and inaccessible payment document—often a location note from the Property Registry—costs at least €10.91 (9.02 plus VAT). This is applicable in Madrid, the Balearic Islands, and La Rioja. In Madrid and La Rioja, the location note is required for all residents of the household, which drives up the total cost of the application.
“The process was a headache. We rushed to secure it on day one because the subsidies were distributed quickly. It was chaotic due to the sheer volume. Suddenly they asked for ridiculous documents: proof that we did not own property and even payment for a paper that confirms it,” explains Víctor, a Madrid resident sharing a flat with two friends. “One condition is that the cohabitation unit must not exceed a certain income, but Madrid has an exception: each renter must personally meet the age, income, and non-ownership criteria. So all three of us applied for the voucher and provided the documents for all three residents. With the location note, we paid twice as much because we hadn’t realized we should use the agency’s site rather than the Registry directly. We spent more than €60 for an administrative step that might or might not help, but if it does, it will be worth it.”
A location note from the Property Registry shows whether a natural or legal person has registered properties in Spain. It does not list which properties or how many there are. If a person owns any property, the document indicates which specific Registry is used—there are many registries within each province, and a single record can list several residences. A brief note is possible for an extra €10.91 including VAT.
For young people in Madrid, the Balearic Islands, and La Rioja, the existence of a location note or lack thereof serves as proof of non-ownership and a key criterion for eligibility for rental assistance. The articles of the regional announcements emphasize this requirement. The publication EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA reviewed the rules and found only these three communities insisting on the location note for all applicants. In the Valencian Community, by contrast, the process asks for a simple declaration from anyone sharing a room without a contract who seeks access to aid. This measure appears intended to limit the number of rooms in use by non‑contracted tenants.
Other administrations chose to simplify the process. They requested a signed declaration that the applicant does not own property or consent to data collection on their behalf. They even waived the need for a location note by allowing someone else to request the document on the applicant’s behalf, given a legitimate interest. Consequently, applicants like Víctor have found the requirements baffling and inconsistent. “The system itself should verify,” says one respondent, highlighting how convoluted the approach feels to people navigating it.
From the Ministry of Transport and Urban Agenda, which oversees housing policy at the national level, sources confirm that the royal decree states beneficiaries cannot own another home, but it leaves the proof method to the autonomous communities. A cadastral certificate, a statement of responsibility, or other documents can be used depending on regional preference. The autonomous communities retain authority to perform their own checks as they see fit for applicants. Housing officials in Madrid have argued that registry-grade proof best ensures diligence and that applicants who meet the criteria should receive their aid, but the approach remains uneven across regions.
A COMPLEX PROCESS
The location note can be requested through the College of Registrars’ website if an electronic certificate is available, which is itself a hurdle. Access by certificate often fails, causing delays for many applicants. When the system works, there can still be an eight‑hour wait unless an outage occurs. Some applicants report delays during peak periods or “incidents in the system.”
In some cases, applicants can obtain the document in person at a land registry office, or via an agency. Agencies frequently offer to obtain the note for higher fees. Online searches for “location note” may surface firms that promise to complete the task for less, but the price can be misleading and the service variable in reliability.
The rest of the process adds more costs. In the Balearic Islands, where the enrollment window closes on mid‑September, additional documents such as the rental contract, a history of cohabitation, work history, cadastral references for the rented property, and rent receipts may be required. Madrid presents similar hurdles, with applicants often wondering if they have gathered everything correctly. The overall impression is a long, often exhausting journey that leaves many people asking whether all regions truly want the same outcome or simply want to manage the demand in their own way.
— End of report. housing authorities and EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA
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