The Basque housing minister Denis Itxaso presented key findings from a report by the Observatorio Vasco de la Vivienda on 2 November 2026. According to the report, most people still registered with Etxebide as applicants for a vivienda protegida are already renting — yet still need an affordable, stable alternative. Specifically, the report estimates that 72 per cent of registered households live in a rented flat or share one; this amounts to around 70,240 households. Including households living in homes made available by relatives or friends, the proportion of applicants who have already moved out rises to 78.1 per cent.
The study also records widespread flat-sharing: 28.5 per cent of everyone registered with Etxebide currently shares a home; among those specifically seeking protected rental housing, the figure is 33 per cent. Sharing does not necessarily bring the financial burden down to a sustainable level, however. Those renting a room pay an average of around €450 per month — €452 among applicants for protected rental housing and €445.9 among those seeking a protected home to buy.
The burden is also high for those renting entire flats. Applicants for a vivienda protegida under the rental scheme pay an average of €741 a month, according to the report; among those interested in buying, the figure is €842.6. The share of income is key: among households that have already left the parental home and are seeking protected rental housing, the estimated average rent amounts to 44.1 per cent of the applicants’ combined net income; among those interested in buying, it is 33.9 per cent. Both figures are well above the commonly used benchmark of 30 per cent.
Differences in income reflect the households’ differing circumstances: the average combined net income of households seeking a protected rental home is €1,492.5 a month; for those interested in buying, it is €2,686. Itxaso stressed that needs had changed: alongside people seeking their own home for the first time, more households are emerging that need affordable, reliable housing despite having already moved into the open rental market.
The analysis is based on two online surveys conducted by the Observatorio Vasco de la Vivienda in May and June 2026, which received 8,224 complete responses — 5,807 from people interested in renting and 2,417 from people interested in buying. The report therefore provides an updated picture of the housing and income circumstances of people and families registered with Etxebide in the Basque Country.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).