Anyone seeking access to protected housing must meet a standard set of requirements. These include being of legal age, residing in Spain, not owning another home, belonging to specific groups, or demonstrating an economic need measured by the IPREM (Public Multiple Income Indicator) linked to each autonomous community. The 2018-2021 State Housing Plan delegated authority over this area to the autonomous communities, so the exact access requirements vary by region, notes finance expert Antonio Gallardo. [Source: iAhorro]
Beyond the conditions that qualify a home for protected status, the homes themselves carry criteria as well. The principal factors are that the property carries the maximum allowed selling price and the maximum usable or built area, that it adheres to design parameters, and that purchasers do not intend to use it as a second residence but as a regular home. This perspective, offered by Gallardo, underscores that protected housing is defined by both buyer eligibility and property specifications.
There are also different classifications based on the situation. Subsidized housing types include government protection (VPO), which encompasses public servant protection (VPOPP) or values labeled as appreciated price (VPT); while other categories include public protection (VPP) and additional variants. Basic public protection housing (VPPB) is capped at 110 square meters, and limited-priced public protection housing (VPPL) cannot exceed 150 square meters.
Where can subsidized housing be found?
For official protected housing, availability is organized by autonomous community. Each region maintains a general register showing available homes, with state or regional administrations monitoring the listings and maintaining applicant registries so citizens can be notified when a VPO becomes available. The system is designed so that prospective buyers can register and receive alerts when a protected home is offered. [Source: Ministry or regional housing bodies]
A notable drawback is the shrinking supply of such housing. A financial expert from iAhorro points out that current volumes of subsidized housing are limited, and if present, they are quite marginal. The market has not recovered to pre-crisis levels. [Source: iAhorro]
Data from the Ministry of Public Works shows that in 2006 more than 97,000 protected homes had been built in Spain before the financial crisis. By that year, the number of homes approved under the subsidized regime began to fall, signaling evolving policy and market conditions. [Source: Ministry of Public Works]
Over the next decade, the number of protected homes dropped sharply. By 2021, the tally decreased by 82.92% from 58,308 in 2011 to 9,957, the latest year with complete data. The steepest decline occurred between 2012 and 2013, when 36,273 homes lost protected status, a 68% drop in that single year. [Source: Ministry of Public Works]
Less help and more unequal distribution for construction
The decline in protected housing is tied to several policy shifts. Gallardo explains that the 2011 elimination of certain incentives, aimed at developers to offset price caps on for-sale housing, largely drove the downturn. In 2021, more than eight in ten subsidized homes were built by private developers, while less than two in ten were built by public promoters. [Source: iAhorro]
The regional distribution is highly uneven. The Community of Madrid currently has the largest number of subsidized homes, followed by the Basque Country with 652 leased and 1,214 owned units, though the totals still lag behind those in Madrid. In contrast, regions like the Canary Islands or the Region of Murcia have little to no subsidized housing at present, according to data from the Ministry of Development. [Source: Ministry of Development]