Politics · Spain · 9 hrs ago
Economist proposes public rental guarantees for up to 140,000 contracts a year
Economist Ángel Martínez proposes a public rental guarantee in Spain to help people who struggle to meet landlords’ financial checks.
The guarantee would be available to tenants before they negotiate or sign a lease, unlike an existing government scheme that applies after a tenant has fallen behind on rent.
It would cover young people aged 18 to 30 and older people with incomes up to 1.1 times the minimum wage.
The proposal would set rent limits by location and generally require rent to be no more than half the tenant’s net income, with an exception for students.
The plan could cover up to 140,000 rental contracts a year, and is intended to make landlords more willing to rent to people who might otherwise be excluded.
If a tenant stopped paying, the state would compensate the landlord within set limits and later seek repayment from the tenant.
The proposal draws on France’s Visale programme, but no decision to adopt it is stated.
Economist Ángel Martínez proposes a public rental guarantee to help people who face barriers to renting.
The guarantee would be available to tenants before they negotiate and sign a lease.
The proposal targets young people aged 18 to 30 and some older people on low incomes.
It would set rent limits by location and require rent to be no more than half of a tenant’s net income, except for students.
Martínez’s proposal draws on France’s Visale program and differs from the Spanish government’s existing guarantee scheme.
- Who
- Economist Ángel Martínez proposed the guarantee.
- What
- A public guarantee would cover rental contracts and protect landlords against unpaid rent. It would be available to tenants before lease negotiations.
- When
- The proposal was published on 3 November 2026.
- Where
- Spain.
- Why
- To reduce barriers to renting for people who may be excluded because of landlords’ financial screening.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Spanish government approved its existing rental guarantee scheme by royal decree.
El País reported Martínez’s proposal, published on the EsadeEcPol website.
- Proposed guarantee
- Available to tenants before lease negotiations
- Eligible young people
- Ages 18 to 30, whether studying or working
- Eligible older people
- Over 30 with income up to 1.1 times the minimum wage
- Monthly rent caps
- €620 in municipalities under 100,000 people; €710 in larger municipalities; €1,090 in Madrid; €1,140 in Barcelona
- Rent-to-income limit
- Rent could not exceed 50% of net income, except for students
What people are saying
The risk that now determines who gets a rental passes from the owner to the public sector, without reducing protection for the tenant who already has a contract.