Congress will decide this Tuesday if it begins to process a bill to modify the state law on Urban Leases (LAU), with the aim of giving the autonomous communities regulatory capacity so that they can put a ceiling on rental prices in stressed areas. This vote will take place in full controversy within the coalition government for the Housing Law.
The bill that Congress will see tomorrow comes from the Parliament of the Balearic Islands, where it was promoted by Més per Menorca, and went ahead thanks to the votes in favor of the PSOE, Unidas Podemos, Més per Mallorca and the Mixed Group.
Specifically, the initiative comes to modify articles 10 and 17 of the urban lease law, in regarding the extension of the contract and giving regulatory capacity to the autonomous governments so that they can put a limit on the rental price in those areas that are stressed.
According to the text of the bill, to which he has had access Europa Pressthis regime of limitation of the rental price is proposed with a sanctioning regime and a system of extrajudicial resolution of conflicts produced between landlords and tenants.
How to declare a stress zone
In addition, they state that the declaration and validity of a stressed residential market area established in this regulation will require the preparation of a report that justifies it, “through objective data and based on the existence of a special risk of insufficient supply of housing for the resident population”.
“The declaration, in accordance with this procedure, of a territorial area as a stressed residential market area will entail the drafting, by the competent regional administration, of a specific plan that will propose the necessary measures to correct the imbalances evidenced in its declaration, as well as its development calendar for the validity period of the declaration of the stressed residential market area”, states the bill.
In what has to do with the modification of article 10 of the urban lease law, the bill states that in terms of the extension of the contract, if neither party had notified the other of their desire not to renew it, the contract would be mandatorily extended for annual terms up to a maximum of three years.
In full negotiation of the Housing Law
Precisely, this bill will be seen in the Congress of Deputies at a time when some points of the Housing Law are still being negotiated within the coalition government, such as the limitation of the rental price.
Just a few days ago, the leader of Podemos, Ione Belarra, reproached the PSOE for keeping this Housing Law “blocked” in Congress. At this point, she was aware that “it is not perfect”, although she urged its approval and that rental prices in stressed market areas be effectively regulated.
These words of Belarra arose after the statements of the First Vice President and Minister of Economic Affairs, Nadia Calviño, who had distanced the possibility of establishing in the Housing Law a maximum limit of increase of 3% of all rents in calls ” stressed areas”.