The Observatorio del Alquiler of the Fundación Alquiler Seguro accuses the state housing agency Casa 47 of failing to meet its own affordability target. An analysis presented on 22 September 2026 says that the 638 homes listed on the new portal are not affordable under the 30 per cent rule for households with the minimum income required in each case. Net rent alone generally amounts to 30 per cent of that minimum income; once utilities and other regular additional costs are included, the burden rises further.
The guideline that a household should spend no more than 30 per cent of its income on housing is a policy goal of the Spanish government and was reaffirmed when Casa 47’s portal was presented on 7 September 2026. The new structure is based on a resolution of the Presidency of the Boletín Oficial del Estado published in the Entidad Estatal de Vivienda. Internal plans and regulations stipulate that affordability assessments must take account not only of rent but also of ongoing “suministros”, or utilities, and other compulsory costs.
The Observatorio del Alquiler’s assessment draws on the listings published on the portal and average figures for additional costs. It also criticises gaps and ambiguities in the listings, for example in energy ratings, the breakdown of additional costs and whether properties are in areas designated as stressed. Examples include regions such as Gijón where the minimum incomes required vary across the case lists, while the advertised rent already reaches 30 per cent of those amounts.
The government’s policy and market monitoring thus come into conflict: while Casa 47 and the Ministry of Housing aim to make access to affordable housing easier through the portal, experts point out that many applicant households’ actual overall costs exceed the target. The criticism is specifically directed at the methodology and data in the listings, not at the policy goal itself.
The practical consequences primarily affect low-income households: when advertised prices formally take account of net rent alone, the actual overall burden remains higher than the policy intends. The statements available indicate that Casa 47 and the Ministry of Housing have been called on to make their calculations transparent, complete the listing data and adjust the allocation criteria so that the 30 per cent rule is met on the basis of total costs. No official announcement of short-term corrections had been made by the editorial deadline.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).