Spain’s Government Drafts a Decree to Protect Vulnerable Tenants During Coronavirus Pandemic

THE Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Housing has agreed to a decree which aims to alleviate pressure on tenants in a vulnerable situation due to the economic impact caused by the coronavirus.

These measures, which will be debated in a forthcoming meeting between the Council of Ministers, include a proposal to help those renting who find themselves in a vulnerable situation due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Tenants in these circumstances may be allowed to delay rent payments up to a maximum of four months. The amount of rent not paid must then be prorated within a period of time agreed between the parties, which must have a minimum duration of 12 months.

Apart from this, there will be a credit line for these tenants with a 100 per cent guarantee for a longer term than those agreed 12 months. Subsequently, there will also be an option for public aid for any tenants who remain in this situation.

These measures will affect landlords, public companies, private companies and large holders. This will also affect small property owners but the idea behind it, is that they ultimately do not lose any income.

The Minister of Economy, Nadia Calviño, initially rejected the idea of applying measures to to individuals and households who are renting, although they had been approved in the case of mortgages. The justification behind this was that, in rental cases, the affected party was not a bank, it was a citizen.

The total income of the members of a family unit cannot exceed, in the month prior to the request of the moratorium, three times of the IPREM (€1,613), although there are some circumstances which increase this limit, such as having dependent children, age, or disabilities.