- In recent weeks, coinciding with the crisis caused by the coronavirus, ads of homes for rent in extreme conditions on digital platforms such as Idealista and Fotocasa have increased considerably, as reported by the Casco Viejo de Pamplona/Iruña platform through notices.
The platform has denounced that "the apartments that until now were rented for tourists have begun to offer as usual rent of housing, at excessive prices, in conditions that violate the current rental regulations. At the moment, 21 cases have been detected in the Casco Viejo and 15 in the Ensanche, but it is clear that more will appear," he said.
Taking advantage of the touristification phenomenon, some owners chose to speculate with their homes, giving priority to economic interest in the neighborhood's well-being. Now, taking advantage of the crisis situation, these homes have begun to be offered at exorbitant prices: in the cases detected, one-bedroom homes and between six and 650 euros have been offered at prices between 650 and 2800 euros.
But the price is not the only abuse. The offers detected by the Casco Viejo violate the right to access to housing, in contravention of the Royal Decree-Law 7/2019, which regulates the rental housing. The tenders include the payment of more than one month of deposit, the payment of more than two months as a deposit of guarantee of payment or the obligation to leave the house during the summer or the sanfermines. In this sense, he pointed out that “people with creditable high incomes”, “permanent contracts and reliable incomes”, pay bonds “for 6 months or more”, “one month in bond and the corresponding 6 months in guarantee”, “contract for at least three years” or that the tenant can only use the housing between “September to June”.
For the platform Bizi Alde Zaharra it is urgent to denounce this situation and bet on a habitable neighborhood. It has therefore denounced to the platforms receiving advertisements that, however, have not taken any action and denied their responsibility, claiming that “they cannot mediate between advertisers and stakeholders” or that “they lack sufficient tools and skills to take action” and that they therefore become accomplices to the reported abuses.
In the light of the situation, the Casco Viejo calls on the residents to report any irregularities they detect in order for the authority concerned to inform them publicly about their state of affairs. They have also requested that the notification of such infringements bizitzekoaldezaharra@gmail.com be sent also to the email address.