Costa Blanca renters may be missing out on Spain’s new affordable homes

Renting on the Costa Blanca has never been cheap, yet a new state housing scheme is offering 153 homes there from around €350 a month. The eligibility rules buried in the small print mean British and other foreign residents are not excluded simply for lacking a Spanish passport.

British and other foreign residents can qualify

Spain’s new Casa 47 public housing system has made 153 affordable rental properties available across Alicante province, in municipalities including Pedreguer, Dénia, Monóvar, Orihuela, Elche and Novelda. Applications are already open, and the deadline has been extended to September 21.

The detail that matters most for the Costa Blanca’s large international community sits in the eligibility rules rather than the headline figures. The official Casa 47 eligibility information states that applicants can hold Spanish nationality or have legal residence in Spain.

That means British residents living in Spain since Brexit, along with EU citizens and other legally resident foreign nationals, can potentially apply if they meet the remaining conditions. It does not extend to every foreign property owner or holidaymaker. Legal residence is required, and the property must become the applicant’s habitual home.

Applicants also do not need to already be registered, or empadronado, in the municipality where the property is located. That could make the scheme relevant to readers currently living elsewhere in Spain who are considering a move to the Costa Blanca.

Where are the 153 Costa Blanca homes

The homes are concentrated in the Marina Alta area of Alicante province. Pedreguer has the largest share with 66 properties, according to the town hall, while Dénia and the surrounding area account for 46. The remainder are split between Monóvar, Orihuela, Elche and Novelda.

Prices across the Alicante allocation reportedly range from around €350 to €784 a month, depending on the individual property. Dénia Town Hall has confirmed its participation in the programme and, like Pedreguer, confirmed that the deadline for the current call has been extended to September 21.

Residents can browse the properties and current calls through the official Casa 47 portal directly, rather than applying through their local town hall. The portal also includes an eligibility simulator, so prospective applicants can check whether they are likely to qualify before submitting anything, with applications made electronically through the site itself.

How much can you earn and still qualify

This is not traditional social housing reserved for people on very low incomes. Under the current Casa 47 rules, a household’s combined net annual income generally needs to fall between two and 7.5 times Spain’s IPREM income indicator, which currently works out at between €16,800 and €63,000 a year.

There is a second affordability test: rent should generally account for between 15 and 30 per cent of household income. Applicants also cannot own another home, although the rules set out specific exceptions, and household members must be up to date with their Spanish tax and Social Security obligations.

It is not first come, first served

There is no advantage in rushing an application through today to get ahead of other applicants. Eligible applications enter a public allocation process involving a draw, and once that draw sets the order, households can be provisionally allocated one of the suitable properties they selected.

The Government said the process was deliberately designed to keep the allocation of public housing transparent, and successful applicants can visit a property before signing.

The contracts on offer are intended to provide far more long-term security than most private rentals. When Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez launched the Casa 47 portal, the Government said contracts would initially run for 14 years and could be extended, in seven-year increments, to as long as 75 years, provided the eligibility requirements continue to be met.

The scheme is only just getting started

Casa 47 launched nationally on September 7 with around 800 properties available and another 1,500 expected to be added shortly, with further homes due every quarter. It is intended to become a permanent public housing system rather than a one-off allocation.

For Costa Blanca residents, though, what matters is what is available right now. Rather than waiting on another announcement about homes that might eventually be built, residents can already search the current properties, check the requirements and apply through the official Casa 47 website.

Spanish citizenship is not a requirement here. Anyone legally resident in Spain who meets the income and property conditions, and who is looking for a long-term home on the Costa Blanca, has until September 21 to check whether they qualify.