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PROPERTY

Spanish property news roundup: Number of homes for sale dips but positive outlook forecast

From the regulation of the rental market in Barcelona to mortgage values in 2021, stay up-to-date on the latest Spanish property news with The Local's weekly roundup.

Published: 21 September 2021 16:52 CEST
Spanish property news roundup: Number of homes for sale dips but positive outlook forecast
The Local's weekly property roundup. Photo: hoelli / Pixabay

The number of homes for sale fell in the past year

The number of secondhand homes available fell by four percent in the last year in most provincial capitals, as a result of the increase in the sale of houses in the months after the first wave of the pandemic, according to a study published by the real estate giants Idealista on Tuesday. 

The availability of homes for sale has gone from 196,000 properties in September 2020 to 187,000 in September 2021.  

Pamplona was the place where it was most difficult to find a home, compared with a year ago, as the number of available houses has fallen by 28 percent.  

The number of properties for sale has also fallen in Soria, Santander, San Sebastián, Teruel, Zaragoza, Guadalajara, Lérida and Castellón de la Plana. 

However, this trend is not the same in all areas, because, in some places, the number of homes for sale has increased, particularly in Ceuta, with 19 percent more properties available than a year ago. 

The number of homes for sale also increased in Ourense, León, Córdoba, Jaén, Girona, Palencia and Cáceres. 

Barcelona was the only big city where the number of available properties had increased (seven percent) compared with a year ago, however, in Madrid and Valencia, the numbers dropped by six percent each. It also fell by six percent in Seville, five percent in Malaga, and two percent in Bilbao.  

Barcelona extends the regulation of its rental market

The Barcelona City Council announced last week that it will continue to regulate the city’s rental prices for five more years and stop rent increases.

The regulation has been in force for a year and prevents increases above the official reference index, created by the Generalitat.

In new contracts, prices cannot exceed this index. If in the previous contract the rent was higher, it must be lowered.

It is now easier to apply for a mortgage in Spain. Photo: IndiraFoto / Pixabay
Mortgages in 2021: what is the average value in Spain?

Good news for those interested in applying for a mortgage for a home in Spain. The average value of a home on which a mortgage is requested was €171,809 in August, the lowest figure so far this year.

This is 11.21 percent lower than in July, which also implies a decrease in the average value, which currently stands at around €127,000.

This is demonstrated by the data, according to the recent study carried out by Centro de Estudios Trioteca, a Spanish company specialised in obtaining mortgage loans.  

The research also showed that almost 95 percent of candidates who apply for a mortgage are looking for a fixed rate with an average duration of 27 years. On the other hand, only 5.2 percent of requests are made for variable rate search.

Positive outlook forecasted for Spanish real estate 

According to a report recently published by Allied Market Research entitled ‘Residential Real Estate Market in Spain By Budget and Size: Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027’, the outlook for the Spanish real estate market is positive.  

In 2018, the Spanish residential real estate market was $128.3 billion (€109.3 billion) and it is expected to reach $149.9 billion (€127.7 billion) in 2027, registering a compound annual growth rate of eight percent from 2020 to 2027.

The report also added that the current market encourages foreign investments, due to the favorable rules and regulations established by the government for foreign investors.

If you want to read more property news, you can see last week’s round-up here. 

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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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