Actions to convert empty housing into social housing stock María J. Aldanas Project Officer, FEANTSA
Spanish context HOUSING THE HOMELESS Social Housing should be main long-term solution (less than 2%) Socializing the Private rental sector: Rental Mediation Schemes EMPTY HOUSING 3.4 million empty homes (INE Census 2011) 10.8% increase in a decade REPOSSESSIONS/ EVICTIONS Around 500,000 (CGPJ and INE Sep 2014) since 2007. Second quarter of 2014: 21,178 foreclosures
Housing Policies and Housing Rights Spain State Housing plans. Housing policies mainly regional policy: 17 regional governments. Policies don t target those unable to obtain housing on the private market Art.47. Constitution: right to housing, Art 33. Social function Catalonia Right to Housing Act (Law 18/ 2007). Policies to bring empty housing into the market (Art. 42) Municipalities: Fines to the banks holding unused housing Regional Government Bill on empty dwelling. Andalusia Law that regulates the right to housing in Andalusia (Law 1/ 2010) Law social function of housing: fines to financial institutions, temporal expropriation of repossessed housing Interruption of application while decision at Constitutional Court
Legal Responses to Repossessions Code of Good Practice for banks (2012) Alternatives to eviction: debt rescheduling and remission and Assets received in lieu of payment/payment in kind (dación en pago) Voluntary for banks, limited access for mortgage debtors Protection of Mortgage Debtors and Restructuring of Mortgage Debt and Social Rental Act (2013) Measures to alleviate the problem for families (limited access) Reforms of the mortgage procedure Social Housing Fund: 6000 dwellings offered by the banks to mortgage debtors whose properties were repossessed.
Informal Strategies: Social Movements Demand affordable rental housing Negotiate with institutions Repossessions Banks SAREB Empty Housing recuperation of housing stock public aid in favor of financial institutions Occupying the buildings
Anti-Eviction Platform Occupation of housing belonging to financial institutions Livable conditions Negotiate and present economic arguments Offer people a standard lease (rent according to economic situation). Occupied building in Salt, Girona The European Court of Human Rights delayed the eviction of the block of flats; the Government had to gather information about the social situation of the families (children).
Empty Housing in Catalonia Right to Housing Act (2007) Right to housing Act included the possibility to fine banks that have empty housing in Catalonia Municipalities Sanctions to the banks: Terrassa and others Moción municipal Anti-eviction platform Regional Government Bill: fines to companies with unused housing for more that 2 years. Government agreements with the banks. SAREB agreement to transfer 600 units of their stock to the regional government. Mobilization of social platforms
Empty Housing in Andalusia Government of Andalusia passed a decree (then validated as a law) Force banks and developers to rent out their stock: Threat of fines of up to 9000 Temporary expropriation of homes being repossessed to be let to families at risk Suspension of the application of this piece of legislation deemed anticonstitutional by the central government
Community Housing Usually homes are basically bought or rented by a single individual or household. However, the notion of community in the area of housing is coming back. Some types of Alternative housing: Cooperatives transfer of the right to use Housing in exchange for rehabilitation masoveria Community land trusts. CLT Brussels Solidarity housing. Intergenerational Housing (older people sharing with young or other people in need). Other?
Thanks! Hope you found it interesting Maria J. Aldanas Project Officer Feantsa maria.jose.aldanas@feantsa.org