The Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing of the Government of the Canary Islands published this Wednesday in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands (BOC) a call for aid to promote and implement collaborative housing, known as cohousing, in the Archipelago.
This aid, which has a budget of 1,236,755 euros, will subsidize with up to 50,000 euros those actions that allow the development of shared accommodation in homes, both in newly built houses, as well as those that are bought and adapted for this purpose. The objective of this call is to increase the supply of this accommodation model in the archipelago, to offer an alternative to certain groups in a rental or transfer regime for a period of at least forty years
The Canary Islands Housing Institute (ICAVI) is launching this call in order to support collaborative housing initiatives that are practically unprecedented in the Canary Islands, and that are part of the objectives set by the Canary Islands Housing Plan 2020-25. These collaborative homes, also known as cohousing, are accommodation models that have private spaces as well as common facilities and services, representing an alternative to traditional accommodation models from which mainly the elderly, young people or students can benefit.
For its development, this call may be requested by both individuals and public entities or associations and cooperatives during the next ten business days, starting from the day following publication in the BOC. The projects will be eligible as long as they are used for this cohousing use for a period of forty years and include, as a minimum, the following common services: restaurant, laundry and areas for social, sports, cultural or leisure activities. The destination for a period of at least forty years to the lease or transfer of use must be stated in a marginal note in the Land Registry.
This subsidy may finance from new construction promotions, rehabilitation of buildings or improvements in homes with up to a maximum of 420 euros per square meter or, as a whole, a limit of 50,000 euros per accommodation or home.
Once this project is finished, the subsidized homes must be exclusively used by people who do not exceed five times the Public Income Indicator for Multiple Effects (39,540€ per year) and if it is a rental home, the price of the same may not exceed eight euros per square meter (for example: if a home is 75 m2, the rent may not be greater than 600 euros per month), although this price may be updated according to the Consumer Price Index.
The subsidies will be granted by a scoring system, being able to reach a maximum of 30 points per project, and the applications may be submitted in person at any of the offices of the Canary Islands Housing Institute, or electronically. The ICAVI, in addition, has enabled a specific line of attention for doubts related to this aid through the telephone 822 171 163, from Monday to Friday from 09.00 to 12.00 hours.
