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PROPERTY

VERIFIED: Is it true these Spanish villages are paying people to move there?

International and national news sites have recently reported that Spain has a number of villages where individuals or families are being paid to move there, or offered free accommodation and work. The Local Spain decided to investigate if these claims were true by speaking to the villages themselves.

Published: 25 August 2021 18:12 CEST
VERIFIED: Is it true these Spanish villages are paying people to move there?
The village of Ponga in Asturias. Photo: Carmenmoran / WikiCommons

Covid restrictions, the advent of remote working in Spain, a new visa for digital nomads and improving internet connections are all currently contributing to making rural Spain a sought-after destination for people around the world.

As a result, a number of popular news sites and media outlets in the UK and US have published articles listing the Spanish villages that are allegedly now paying people to move there in a bid to solve their depopulation problems. 

As The Local Spain has been covering all the latest developments for remote workers in Spain in 2021, the promises of endless offers of free accommodation, work and in some cases money didn’t seem to add up. 

So we decided to get on the phone to the ayuntamientos (town halls) of each of the villages listed in these international media outlets to find out if it was true.  Some of their answers painted a very different picture from what was being suggested in the local and foreign press. 

Ponga, Asturias

The village of Ponga in Asturias. Photo: Carmenmoran / Wikimedia Commons

Reports from across the world have suggested that the village of Ponga in Asturias (northern Spain) is giving couples or families €3,000 to help them settle in, and a further €3,000 for each baby born in the village.

When The Local Spain spoke to a representative from the town hall however, they stated that “the offer hasn’t been available since 2007 and we can’t understand why it’s making headlines again”.

Unfortunately for Ponga, the scheme didn’t work out as planned as there weren’t enough jobs available for the additional families, so many had to pack up and leave.

Rubia, Galicia

Several articles have recently reported that the municipality of Rubia in the Galician province of Ourense (also northern Spain) will supplement new residents’ income by an extra €100-150 per month.

When The Local Spain called Rubia Town Hall, village authorities said that what was being reported in international media “is simply not true”.

Griegos, Aragón

The village of Griegos in Spain’s Teruel province. Photo: Chantejot /WikiCommons

Another village that is reportedly trying to attract new residents with incentives is Griegos in Aragón’s Teruel province (northeast Spain).

Reports stated that Griegos Town Hall would offer three months rent-free to any families willing to move there.

While this was true at one point, a spokesperson from the village of 150 people told The Local Spain that “we have already found families to fill our quota and are no longer offering this incentive”.

A Xesta, Galicia

The hamlet of A Xesta in Galicia. Photo: Simon Burchell / WikiCommons

Other media reports wrote that another Galician village, this time in the municipality of Pontevedra, was trying to attract new residents by offering them reduced rentals from just €100 per month.

The Local Spain tried to reach out for comment from authorities in the hamlet but received no answer.

It also proved impossible to contact authorities in Olmeda de la Cuesta, in the central Spanish province of Cuenca, with reports saying the village has several plots of land for sale for as little as €200 to try and attract people to come and build houses there.

The village of Olmeda de la Cuesta in Cuenca. Photo: Diego Delso / WikiCommons

Camarena de la Sierra

Camarena Camarena de la Sierra, Aragon. Photo: Marcela Escandell / Flickr

Finally, it was recently reported in the Spanish press that the village of Camarena de la Sierra, also in Aragón (in northeast Spain) is offering new residents job offers and help with accommodation.

When The Local called for clarification, local authorities confirmed “this scheme does indeed exist, but places are limited”.

“There is for example an empty bakery with an attached house that someone could move into,” a spokesperson said.

“Each application would be assessed on a case-by-case basis depending on the skills each person has and what they could bring to the village.”

Conclusion

Offers like the ones listed above quickly go viral and as a result end up outdated after very little time, so it may be best for you to do your own research and contact the actual villages if you are indeed interested in a particular place.

If possible, try to call the village ayuntamiento in question to find out the exact conditions or if the offer is still valid. 

There’s also nothing stopping you from pitching to authorities in any village in rural Spain (not just those promoting themselves) a service you can offer in return for lower rent or a free home. It could be English lessons at the local school or setting up a business in their pueblo (village).

Alternatively, there are several Spanish villages that we can confirm are trying to attract remote workers to live there due to their dwindling populations, but they won’t necessarily pay you to move there. 

FIND OUT MORE: The Spanish villages that want remote workers

A total of 30 towns and villages across Spain have joined the Red Nacional de Pueblos Acogedores or the National Network of Welcoming Villages, meaning that the places listed on their website are regularly updated with the latest information and thus are actively looking for remote workers when you carry out your search. 

Before you think about moving to any of these villages, you should also be aware that life in rural Spain has its challenges.

Villages are often underpopulated and those that remain tend to be older, in some places there are increasingly fewer services such as banks, and speaking Spanish is a must.

Read here to find out more about about the pros and cons of moving to a small village in rural Spain. 

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LEGAL HELP

Noisy local fiestas: What to do when your Spanish town hall is responsible

Town and city fiestas are commonplace in Spain and they’re part of what made many of us fall in love with the country in the first place, but sometimes the town hall can overstep and the noise pollution just gets too much to bear for neighbours.

Published: 22 May 2024 09:35 CEST
Noisy local fiestas: What to do when your Spanish town hall is responsible

It’s bad enough in Spain when you have to deal with noisy neighbours or loud bars and clubs, but what about when the culprit is your ayuntamiento (town hall) or city council?

If you want to know what your rights are on noise from construction, find out here, what to do about noisy neighbours here and about bars and clubs here. 

During these local fiestas (every city, town and village has at least one a year), councils set up concert and performance venues form of open-air stages or tents called casetas or carpas.

In these cases, there’s often no sound insulation and the noise carries much further as everything happens outside.

Even though these festivals may only go one for a week or two, they can often disturb residents who aren’t in attendance and are trying to sleep.

You could be someone who needs extra sleep like a doctor, nurse or firefighter, you may be ill or have small children, there are many reasons why you might not be able or want to join in. Even if you are in the minority, your rights should still be respected.

In fact, in places such as Barcelona, when the local Gràcia festival takes place, there’s so much noise created by neighbourhood organisers that some people even decide to leave their apartments for the week as they know they won’t be able to sleep.

This option is of course not open to everyone, and in truth, you shouldn’t have to leave your home temporarily because of a celebration that is supposed to bring joy to the local population.

So, what can you legally do and what are your rights?

Even city and town councils must continue to comply with municipal by-laws during local fiestas. The Spanish Civil Code guarantees that you should have respect in your own home.

Law 40/2015, of October 1st, on the Legal Regime of the Public Sector, which came into force in October 2016, establishes that “Public Administrations objectively serve the general interests and act in accordance with the principles of effectiveness, hierarchy, decentralisation and coordination, with full submission to the Constitution and the Law”. 

This means that even the authorities must uphold the law and serve their people. They have a public responsibility to manage and to do it to the best of their abilities.

The first thing to keep in mind is that you stand a much better chance of getting your council to listen if you find other people who are affected too, so it’s not just you complaining on your own.

Make sure to talk to your neighbours or others living on the same street to find out if they’re also affected by the noise and form a group of people who share your grievances.

In theory, councils and ayuntamientos are in charge of enforcing celebration schedules, making sure the volume of music isn’t too loud, controlling the capacity at venues and enforcing alcohol laws so that people are not drinking on the street (if it’s not allowed in that region).

READ ALSO – FACT CHECK: No, Spain’s Balearics haven’t banned tourists from drinking alcohol

According to Law 7/2002 on protection against noise pollution, these are the maximum sound levels allowed for leisure venues:

Nightclubs: 104 decibels

Venues with musical entertainment: 90 decibels

Game rooms: 85 decibels

Bars and restaurants: 80 decibels

Find out if the festival events and activities infringe on any of these rules and regulations above and if they do then you have a case to take to your town hall.

Technically, the festivals should take place at a local fairground or somewhere away from the main residential area, but we know that this is not always the case. The concerts and events often happen in the very streets and squares where people live.

Firstly, you need to contact your ayuntamiento or local council or explain the problem. It’s best if you put it in writing so there’s a record of what you’ve said.

Try to include as much evidence as possible as to how the festivals are breaking the rules and include testimonials from as many neighbours as you can.

Organisers may not listen to you the first time, but if you keep contacting them, they will be forced to listen and have to respond.

If the situation is the same every year and they still don’t change anything, then you and your neighbours should contact a lawyer to represent you and take the matter to court.

This has actually been done several times by different communities throughout the country and in many instances, the law has sided with the people instead of the authorities.

In 2017, the Superior Court of Justice of Navarra, sided with a community of owners in Mutilva Baja when they complained about noise coming from an outdoor tent which had been erected for the festivities of the local patron saint. They claimed it was noise pollution above the legal levels and said the council had done nothing to try and reduce it.  

In another case in Getafe, thanks to a neighbourhood protest led by a lawyer specialising in noise pollution called Ricardo Ayala, the carnival celebrations were moved to the fairgrounds on the outskirts of the city.

Again in 2022, in Castilla-La Mancha, the Supreme Justice Tribunal imposed a sentence on the the Puerto Lápice City Council due to damages derived from noise pollution from musical events held in the town square.

The celebrations were not forced to be stopped completely but the council did have to agree with a limitation on hours and noise levels specifically for the concerts held in tents outside. It did not affect any other part of the festival.

Therefore, it is possible to take legal action against your ayuntamiento if they are breaking the law, but there’s no guarantee it will be a straightforward process.

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