by Josep Maria Reichardt 
The new Housing Law or rather Law for the Right to housing has been approved in Congress on April 27, 2023, it will now go to the Senate for review and final approval. In this new Law some legal terms and concepts appear that we explain below:
- VPO (Official Protection Housing): They are public protection housing with limited prices and specific conditions in terms of its allocation and use, designed to guarantee the right to housing of individuals and families with limited income.
- Appraised Price: It is a public protection formula that allows real estate developers to build homes at a maximum appraised price and with specific conditions regarding their adjudication and use.
- homelessness: Refers to the situation of people who are homeless and live on the street or in extremely precarious housing situations.
- social rentals: They are housing rentals for people with economic and social difficulties, with prices below those of the market and specific conditions regarding their allocation and use.
- big fork: Refers to those companies or individuals who own a large number of homes for rent.
- Rental Price Index: It is a statistical tool that reflects the evolution of rental prices in a certain geographical area.
- tourist homes: These are homes intended for temporary use as tourist accommodation, offered through digital platforms.
- Urban Leasing Law (LAU): It is the law that regulates the rental contracts of homes and premises in Spain.
- Bond: It is an amount of money that the lessee must deposit as a guarantee in case of non-compliance with the obligations of the lease.
- Eviction: It is the legal procedure to recover possession of a home when the tenant breaches the obligations of the lease.
- rental subsidies: These are financial aids for people with difficulties in paying the rent for their home.
- Social Housing Fund: It is a program that allows access to rental housing for people who are in a situation of social and economic vulnerability. This is a fund that is used for the acquisition and promotion of housing for social rental. The new law contemplates the creation of a Social Housing Fund to facilitate access to housing for people with limited resources.
- protected housing: is one that has some type of legal and/or economic protection by public administrations, in order to guarantee its access to people with limited resources. The new Law contemplates the promotion and encouragement of subsidized housing.
- Rental price limitation: this is a measure that limits the price that owners can establish for the rental of their homes, with the aim of avoiding speculation and guaranteeing access to housing in adequate conditions. The new law includes the possibility of establishing price limits in stressed market areas.
- Tenant Protection: The new law contemplates measures to protect tenants, such as the automatic extension of rental contracts and the limitation of additional guarantees that landlords may require.
- Inspection of empty houses: the new law contemplates the possibility that public administrations carry out inspections and requisitions of empty houses in order to allocate them to social rental.
- tax credits: the new law contemplates the possibility of establishing tax rebates for owners who use their homes for social rental.
