The Council of Ministers has decided to move forward in July with a new package of housing measures with the aim of reaching a "grand agreement" in the Congress of Deputies to face the difficulties of access to a home, among which is raising the VAT applied to tourist apartments to 21%.
As detailed by the Executive's spokesperson and Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations, Elma Saiz, it is an "ambitious and cross-cutting text" that aims to tackle the problem of access to housing "comprehensively".
The Government is finalizing a royal decree that will include initiatives "supported by the different political forces" throughout the legislature "so that everyone can live in peace," in Saiz's words, and which will be structured in two major blocks of action.
The first will focus on making rents cheaper, strengthening contract stability, and tackling fraud in the rental market. It will include, among other measures, the regulation of seasonal and room rentals, the extraordinary extension of contracts, the requirement that all agreements be formalized in writing, and IRPF bonuses for landlords who reduce rental prices.
The second block will aim to put more affordable housing into circulation and will include, among other instruments, the increase in VAT to 21% for tourist apartments, as well as actions to streamline administrative procedures linked to the residential sector.
Saiz has stressed that a challenge like housing "can only be resolved through agreement," insisting on the need to gather broad parliamentary support so that the package of measures has continuity over time.