The housing situation in the Canary Islands, specifically in Lanzarote, "is very serious", said the Common Deputy Rafael Yanes, in an interview this Thursday for Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero. The Deputy stressed that the prices of access to housing in the Archipelago, whether in property or rent, are sky high and at "unknown levels".
"The Canary Islands is the fourth most expensive autonomous community in Spain to buy a home", after Balearic Islands, Madrid and Catalonia, Yanes stressed. In addition, in terms of income, he recalls that "we are the autonomous community with the lowest income", as the media have reported these days. It should be noted that "we are close to 65% of the European income".
"The Canary Islands is the fourth most expensive autonomous community in Spain to buy a home"
With regard to access to rental housing, he made it clear that "the outlook is no better". Taking into account that it has "risen 50% in recent years". A percentage that forces families to invest part of their salary in these leases. "It makes half of the families spend 60% on rent", he pointed out.
Public housing in Lanzarote
Another concern in Lanzarote is the shortage of public housing on the island. According to the Deputy, "no public housing has been built in the last 30 years". With the data in hand, he stresses that "479 homes" have been built in that period. In Arrecife, "404 homes" have been built, in Tías "73 homes" and the lowest figure is in Yaiza, "with two homes".
"No public housing has been built in the last 30 years in Lanzarote"
Empty homes in Lanzarote, 48,600 square meters for public housing and Yaiza has one part and the other part in Arrecife. If you have thousands of homes that have been under construction with the real estate boom of 2008, if they are bought, they are finished and made available for social rent. To pay according to family income.
In addition, another fact that should be taken into account is the number of housing applicants on the island "about 2,102 applicants", he said.
Measures
The Deputy highlighted some of the most important measures they propose for housing in the Canary Islands. "I have asked that housing policies be at the forefront of the political debate", given the seriousness of the situation.
A report with 39 proposals and possible lines of action, in which some can be removed, add other more successful ones or modify them, he said. With the main objective of being a document for "the debate" and with a "diagnosis for reality".
Carry out a 'Long-term housing model', put the drafting of the project out to tender, and "all parliamentary groups agree on a 'Housing Policy'".
The first request we are making is to form a 'Pact for Housing' so that the Government has "a clear political line of what it wants to do with housing in the Canary Islands", he said. In addition to "management proposals, updating the census of public housing, which is not updated with municipal and island assets, combat fraudulent use to avoid illegal occupations, clandestine rentals and private sales of public housing".
Another example of the participation measures is the creation of the 'Canary Housing Observatory', also a 'Housing Emergency Table'. It should be noted that we also include the provision of sufficient personnel to the 'Canary Housing Institute', and unify the criteria of the Institute and the company 'Visocan'. Adapting the Canary Law to current legislation and simplifying the urban planning actions of the town councils are the various proposals that stand out.
The deputy advocates following the line of Europe in social rental housing, "the countries that best protect the right to housing are those that bet on rent", he made clear. He concluded that "without housing there is no decent life" and that "social exclusion begins when you do not have a home".