Catalonia approves a bill to regulate the price of rentals
- After lengthy negotiations, the proposal for a law on the regulation of rents was adopted on 9 September. The aim of the law is to freeze rent prices and lower rent prices above the reference rate. The proposed law can become a reference in the eyes of other countries.
The Syndicate of Llogateres (Maitzer Syndicate), the promoter of the bill, announced on the afternoon of 9 September the adoption of a proposal for a law on the regulation of rentals in the Parliament of Catalonia. Despite the votes against PP, C’s, PSC and PdeCAT, the Cup, ERC, En Comú Podem and JxCat managed to get the law through, although they found an obstacle along the way. In fact, the parties that voted in favour of the proposed law agreed before the summer to vote in favour of the regulation of rentals, with the aim of doing so in June, but on 21 July JxCat tabled eight amendments. If these amendments were not adopted, the party opposed voting in favour of the law and did not get the support of the coalition until the last moment of Wednesday afternoon.
Llogateres Union spokesman Jaime Palomera has pointed out to El Salto that the “suspects” of life hindered the initial pro-law unit, in reference to the House of Property, real estate agencies and bottom vultures.
The aim of the new law is to freeze rental prices and reduce the amount of rentals above the reference rate. The law prohibits the termination of the contract to increase the rental price and excludes from the regulation small, vulnerable owners with incomes of less than 2,000 euros per month.
According to El Salto, the Catalan population allocates 56.5% of the wage to pay the rent, and in the last five years the rent has grown 30 times more than the wage. According to the UN, citizens should spend up to a third of their salary to pay for their residence, for which they should reduce rent prices in Catalonia by 40%, Palomera said.
Failing to see what the Government of Spain will do
It is now up to the Government of Spain to instill or cut off the path of the adopted law. Appeals before the Spanish Constitutional Court may lead to the law being suspended immediately.
According to the criteria of the Council of Guarantees of the State of Catalonia, several articles of the proposed law could be contrary to the Spanish Constitution because they invade the competences of the Spanish State.
“We hope that the Government of [Spain] will open the door to the possibility of regulating the rental of other territories and that this law will become a reference,” said Palomera.
Achievement, only the beginnings
Once the proposed law has been adopted, it is provisional: it has a probationary period of twelve months, after which it will be revised and decide whether it will be extended for five years.
The Llogateres Union stresses that this achievement is only the beginning and that it is now up to tenants to continue to fight for their rights as it has been up to now.
Yes, #AvuiRegulemElsLloguers, però només l'tem.
Ara affilia't al Sindicat de Llogateres, i follow lluitant! ✊ pic.twitter.com/xuO0GrkmvV
— Syndicat de Llogateres i Llogaters (@SyndicatLloguer) September 9, 2020
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Frantziako Estatuko diputatuak eta senatariak ados jarri dira. Orain arte, alokairu turistiko bat alokatzen zutenek etekinen %50 zergapetik kentzeko aukera zuten, urte osoko alokatzaileek, berriz, %30. Lege proposamenak biak hein berdinera ekarriko ditu, hots, %30era.