The PNV has proposed to the Government that the extraordinary extension of lease contracts until 2028, provided for in the housing decree law promoted by Sumar, be restricted to tenants who are up to date with payments and have been for the twelve months prior to the request for such an extension.
This requirement is part of the conversations that the Executive is having with parliamentary groups regarding the aforementioned decree law, in which the jeltzale formation has also presented an additional set of initiatives. Among them are changes to the Land Law and specific regulations for seasonal rentals.
Regarding the reform of the Land Law, the PNV seeks to better adapt it to the demands of municipalities in terms of urban development. It also calls for detailed regulation of seasonal rentals that allows addressing fraud, clearly distinguishes it from tourist rentals, and clearly establishes the competencies of autonomous communities to prevent any attempt to recentralize housing policies.
The PNV spokesperson in Congress, Maribel Vaquero, has stated in a press release that these proposals continue the demands that her group has been advocating throughout the legislature in the Lower House.
The PNV has recalled that, together with the PSOE, it registered a bill to modify the Land Law in order to strengthen legal security and expedite the processing of urban planning plans, a demand that, they emphasize, is shared by municipalities of different political signs. However, the initiative was defeated with the votes, among others, of PP, Sumar, and Junts.
Defense of autonomous competencies
The Basque nationalists insist that it is essential to correct the failures detected in the planning without having to completely discard the work done: "If after years of work there is an error that can be corrected, it must be corrected, not throw away all the planning and start over," defended Vaquero, who has also requested that, when addressing this modification, the State does not assume competencies that are the responsibility of the autonomous communities.
In relation to seasonal rentals, the PNV identifies it as one of "the black holes of the Housing Law" and warns that, in certain cases, it is used to evade the regulations governing habitual housing, which causes legal fraud, insecurity, and greater pressure on prices.
For this reason, it demands precise regulation that clearly differentiates between regular rental, temporary rental, and tourist rental: "Changing the label of a contract cannot serve to evade the rules of regular housing rental."
More legal security and fight against fraud
In the same way, the PNV proposes that tourist leasing be considered an economic activity and that it be subject to the VAT rate applicable to accommodation services, of 10%: "If it is an economic activity, it must be taxed as an economic activity. No more, no less," the party emphasizes.
In summary, the Basque nationalists argue that it is essential to offer stability to those who regularly fulfill their contractual obligations and, at the same time, provide legal security to the owners who put their homes on the rental market.
"Our proposal is to act on those real problems, close the spaces of fraud, and guarantee clear rules. Less unproductive bureaucracy, more coordination; less blockages, more legal security; and full respect for the competencies of Euskadi," Vaquero concluded.