In Errenteria, the population and number of homes have increased "proportionally" in the last 10 years, according to the City Council, but the diagnosis made in the locality shows that "there is a special risk of insufficiency of housing supply", also considering that the empty housing park is very small (5.5%), although the number of secondary dwellings has decreased (7.7%).

"The growth of the population and the less intensive use of housing stock as a result of aging and current dynamics push demand, which implies an increase in housing prices," explained the Consistory. "This situation is aggravated by the pressure generated by the increase of housing in the metropolitan area of San Sebastian, which is causing young people to move to other municipalities in the area, such as ours."

The price of housing has risen steadily and the number of homes for rent has increased by 73 per cent in the last decade. "But at the same time, the difficulty of paying rent on the free market has made them more obvious," he added. Proof of this is the great demand for protected housing of the already emancipated families of Etxebide, "with the objective of reducing the monthly effort to pay for the rent of protected housing".

Given this situation, "it is necessary to intensify the tools and efforts to address such a complex and vital area as housing"; Errenteria's declaration as a stressed zone can be a landmark.

Errenteria will be the first municipality to declare a stressed area. Housing and Urban Agenda Counsellor Denis Itxaso also recalled that Zumaia, Lasarte-Oria and Galdakao (for a specific area) have also begun the process. "These are the four requests received by the Basque Government so far, but we know that Irun and Donostia are also planning to deliver the documentation throughout October and that the other two capitals, Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz, are in the process of presenting their proposals." "We sent the requests to the Ministry, which has 3 months to accept the appointment of a tensioned area," he added.