Barcelona City Council has handed over the keys to 17 homes in a property in Raval acquired in 2017 to curb speculation. The tenants, under 35, will pay between 153 and 463 euros a month.
Seventeen young people under 35 now have the keys to their new flats in the Raval neighbourhood. The Barcelona City Council completed this week a handover that had been delayed since January due to an issue with the electricity supply.
The operation dates back to early 2017, when the government of Ada Colau purchased the property from an investment fund that intended to evict all tenants. The then-mayor justified the acquisition as a way to contain speculation and gentrification in the city centre.
The rehabilitation of the building proved very complex. The works did not begin until June 2022, after years of neglect by both the previous owners and the City Council. Former residents, relocated to other public flats, claimed that they lived better with the fund as their landlord.
"With this handover, the City Council has already distributed up to 2,285 homes during this term, 99 of them in the Ciutat Vella district"
Municipal sources detail that the new homes range from 21 to 62 square metres and that rents range from 153 to 463 euros per month. The allocation process began almost a year ago, and everything pointed to moves taking place in January, but a last-minute setback with the electricity company forced a postponement of the handover.
The building, now rehabilitated, was part of the Open House tours due to its renewed appearance. For Raval residents, this development means adding public housing in a neighbourhood strained by prices.
The awardees can collect the keys at the offices of the Municipal Institute of Housing and Rehabilitation (IMHAB) and sign rental contracts, which will be reviewable according to current regulations.
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