Official protection homes are those whose owners, who must meet fairly demanding requirements, can enjoy some advantage: subsidized loans, aid or subsidies. These, although it depends on each plan, they are usually aimed at citizens with low incomes, young people or other vulnerable groups or who have some financial difficulty. But this type of housing also has to have a series of characteristics in order to be called officially protected.
Within the official protection housing (VPO) are the official public protection housing (VPOPP), whose promoter is some administration or public body and usually have a surface limit, although their quality is high, and privately promoted official protection housing, also called, price-assessed housing (VPT), whose promoter is private (companies, cooperatives…).
That yes, Antonio Gallardo, financial expert of iAhorro, explains that, “the supply in Spain of protected housing is currently very limited and they are usually aimed especially at vulnerable groups that are already registered in some type of social service”. So much so that in just a decade, the classification of housing as protected has decreased by 82.92%, from 58,308 in 2011 to 9,957 in 2021, the last year for which there is complete data. In addition, the largest drop was recorded between 2012 and 2013, when up to a total of 36,273 homes were no longer qualified, which represents a drop of 68% in that year.
Advantages and disadvantages of protected housing
In between the advantages of a VPO is its price, which is usually less than that of a free dwelling; the aid that the owners receive, such as greater financing from banks or even the possibility of benefiting from a lowest interest rate to be paid throughout the life of the mortgage; and they are usually aimed especially at vulnerable people or young people with few resources.
Among the disadvantages, the main one, according to Gallardo, “is in the restrictions for its subsequent sale or rental“. And it is that, “there are protected homes that are for rent, but with very low percentages of the total (around 15%). The rest, to be able to rent them, you first have to disqualify them and this will depend on the regime to which they are subject, but the term to do so is usually around 15 years,” clarifies the iAhorro expert.
The disqualification of subsidized housing aims to annul the limitations to which it is subject to be able to dispose of it freely. So he move to free housing entails the repayment of public aid received.
Request for disqualification from a sheltered housing
The disqualification of a protected home can be requested, voluntarily, by the owners of any protected home, provided that the term established in the Housing Plan has elapsed to which he welcomes.
The first thing to do is go to the Ministry responsible for housing in the autonomous community where the home is located with a copy of the applicant’s DNI, a photocopy of the deed of ownership of the home and a photocopy of the deed of cancellation of the qualified loan, if any.
Once the application is accepted, you must repay public aid received by any administration, whether of the State or of the autonomous community.
It may also be disqualification is automatic, that is, after a certain time the subsidized home becomes directly a free home and, therefore, without having to do all the paperwork mentioned above, the owner can sell or rent it. That period of time between when it is liberalized and when it is not, usually last between 10 and 30 yearsdepending on the type of home it is and the autonomous community in which it is located.