At least 10,000 social houses in one legislature. This was the election commitment of the current president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, for the legislature in the Valencian Community, and the new autonomous Government is focusing on this. And so that this impressive figure does not remain a simple promise, there is no choice but to press the accelerator, first of all, by paving the way at the regulatory level. Thus, in constant dialogue with supporters, Consell continues to examine three decrees introduced by Botànic at the time. The most important of these is the Official Protected Housing (VPO) regulation, which examines the increase in sales prices, as well as average income earners can access such properties.. The other two are design and quality in construction to facilitate construction activity, and initial trial and withdrawal to avoid saturation suffered by regional Housing services due to the bureaucratic complexity of this regulation.
Mazón has repeatedly promised that this will be the housing legislature, and to do this he wants to implement a plan in close cooperation with the project owners, so that they can develop their activities without obstacles deemed unnecessary. The idea in the medium term is to promote a new autonomous housing law. This brings together all existing legislation into a single text to reconcile social and sector interests, as well as provide greater legal certainty for builders.
However, while this is happening, the regulations deemed most urgent to change are being reviewed. The first step in this sense was last October’s paralysis of the decree that Botànic approved on May 26, just two days before the regional elections. Design and quality standards in buildings. From the perspective of both the sector and the current regional administration, the aim is to retouch this situation, which is full of prejudices and far from reality.
But things did not end there, given that in parallel and as confirmed by the Department for Social Services, Equality and Housing, the review of two other ordinances was also being worked on. As Jesualdo Ros, secretary general of the Association of Real Estate Developers of the Province of Alicante (Provia), explained in the regulation governing VPOs, one of the goals is that average incomes should also be accessible to such households. . Right now, The basic requirement is to have a family economic capacity of not more than 4.5 times the Multiple Impact Public Income Indicator. (Iprem), which means about 2,600 euros per month, but there are other conditions, such as the need for housing and allocating it to the permanent and permanent residence of the family. “Ros says the aim of this is to widen the margin so that average income earners, who currently have many difficulties in purchasing a rent-free apartment, have the opportunity to obtain a protected apartment.”
This measure will also increase the profitability of the sector, which is overwhelmed by the increase in both material and bank interest rates., although it is necessary to go further. The representative of the project owners underlines that creative formulas such as transferring public lands to companies through agreements or receiving European funds are being worked on. But he warns that it will also be necessary to increase the sales prices of VPOs, which currently stand at 2,200 euros per square meter in private development and 1,530 euros in public development.
On the other hand, The judgment and withdrawal decree that allows the Generalitat to exercise this right in the sale of subsidized housing is also being reviewed.. What is most concerning in this case is the bureaucratic and personnel effort to comply with this rule. «Four reports are needed from the work of the seller, buyer, notary and registrar, as well as the appraiser. Therefore, this issue paralyzes regional services that do not have the capacity to respond,” Ros laments, also emphasizing that investments are being scared away.
These issues are also shared by Javier Gisbert, president of the Federation of Public Works of the Province of Alicante (FOPA), and underline the will of the new Consell to reach agreements.
Guarantees from the Valencian Financial Institute to cover loans
Another of the issues analyzed at meetings of representatives of the department and construction is the possibility of the Valencian Financial Institute (IVF) providing loan guarantees for the purchase of social housing. According to Provia general secretary Jesualdo Ros, “banks can only give 80% of the total price of the house. So the point is that IVF can guarantee the remaining 20%, which will allow recipients to access total financing. Ros is aware of the interest shown by the regional manager in addressing these issues and hopes that everything will come to fruition quickly. mv
Source: Informacion
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.