638 Casa 47 homes exceed Spain’s 30% rent limit

All 638 homes marketed as affordable on Casa 47’s portal fail Spain’s legal test once essential bills are counted, a rental market research centre says. The Observatorio del Alquiler published its analysis in Madrid on Tuesday, 22 September. It says rent alone already takes up the full 30% share set for households on the minimum net income required for each listing.

Spain’s Housing Law defines an affordable home as one where rent, community charges and basic utilities together take no more than 30% of a household’s income. The observatory says Casa 47 used rent alone when applying that ceiling, leaving out utility bills and, where applicable, community charges.

Casa 47’s marketing rules, published in November 2025, say rent plus estimated utility costs must stay within 30% of a household’s estimated disposable income. Its application rules also say households can only apply for homes where the rent is no more than 30% of their monthly net income.

Yet a clause puts ordinary community charges, along with private services and utilities including communications, water, gas and electricity, on the tenant. The observatory used an average monthly estimate of 123 euros for basic utilities. It says that pushes the burden above 35% for households meeting the minimum income requirement.

The highest figure in the study was for a listed home in Gijón, where the share of income needed rises to 39.77% — 9.77 points above the legal ceiling. The Observatorio del Alquiler is backed by Fundación Alquiler Seguro and includes researchers from Rey Juan Carlos University and Complutense University of Madrid.

Topics: Housing · Politics · Economy

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com