By Linda Hall • Published: 14 Aug 2020 • 7:00
OLIVA: Town hall suggestion for affordable housing Photo credit: Joanbanjo
OLIVA town hall asked the local population to help meet the demand for social housing. Yolanda Balaguer, who heads the Social Welfare department, explained that banks are reluctant to provide properties repossessed from mortgage defaulters. Instead, she called on the owners of empty apartments to rent them out to local families. At present, approximately 40 Oliva families are looking for homes with reasonable rents, she said, but property-owners and estate agents hesitate to let properties unless future tenants demonstrate that they can pay. In the past they wanted to see a work contract, asked for a cash deposit and set other hard-to-meet conditions, Balaguer said. Owing to the Covid-19 crisis, requirements were even more stringent now and, given the slow economic recovery, they were likely to get worse. Social Services has offered to put owners and future tenants in touch with each other to formalise rent agreement and would continue to monitor the situation to ensure that tenants kept their side of the bargain. In cases where they did not, the property would be returned to the owner, Balaguer pledged.
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Originally from the UK, Linda is based in Valenca and is a reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering local news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.
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