Bilbao City Council is against allowing VTs in social housing communities

Bilbao City Council will oppose the installation of tourist housing (VT) in the 530 neighbourhood communities where it has social housing. This is one of the measures outlined in the ordinance Urban Strategic Housing Plan 2024-2027 which was presented on Tuesday by Councillor Yolanda Díez of Housing.

The measure is aimed stop the proliferation of VTsthe amount of which has increased by 30% in the past year. Díez has stressed that VTs are an economic activity that “does not take place in areas where there is social housing.”

This Strategic Plan responds to one of the most important social demands: decent access to housing. Another measure aimed at this goal is the creation of another 200 social rental homes in the next four years.

Of these, 93 will be temporary homes (small houses with communal areas), which will be built in the Amezola area, while the rest will be homes located in disused buildings.

The city already has more than 4,200 public rental homes and, according to Díez, by the end of the plan there will be 4,430 homes with “affordable rent.”

The councillor also explained this next september will start analysis of stress areas from the city to be able to set limits on rental prices.

It will be at the end of this analysis when a photography of uninhabited houses. At the moment there are an estimated 3,000 uninhabited homes (never used) and 10,000 vacant homes (with seasonal residents). 122 of the homes classified as uninhabited have already been activated for social rental.

The plan also includes the creation of a municipal observatory to monitor rental prices and a municipal office to act as a one-stop shop.

The municipal authorities are investing 25 million euros to implement this Strategic Plan.