Malaga raises years of residency requirement for social housing applicants

Malaga is preparing significant changes to the eligibility requirements for social housing in the city. One of the amendments under consideration concerns the number of years applicants need to have been registered residents in order to be eligible for the draw.

Currently, one year of registration is enough, but the proposed changes establish three years of residency (or three years within the five years prior to applying for housing) to enter the social housing allocation process.

This matter was at the centre of the municipal debate in March. Councillor for housing Francisco Pomares announced the amendment despite the opposition's disapproval.

Pomares pointed out that other municipalities, such as Barcelona and Bilbao, had already implemented similar changes, raising the residency requirement to three years. The highest requirement is in Madrid: five years.

With this modification, Malaga jumps on the trend, already in place in Estepona, which aims to give residents priority when applying for social housing. Municipal sources have pointed out that most cities already require between two and five years of registration to be eligible for social housing.

This measure aims to prevent a "pull factor" to the city of Malaga at a time when, after years of stagnation, several social housing projects are under way. The city council has transferred several plots of land to private companies for the construction and operation of flats. The regional government and the central government also have several projects under way.

Other objectives of the proposed amendment include adapting it to the new Andalusian housing law, allowing registration through a self-declaration, and establishing a two-year validity period for registration.

However, this change to the regulation will still take several months before approval, as it must undergo a period of public comment and legal reports.