The management of this Office, as in the case of the other 19 that already operate in the Canary Islands, has been entrusted to Provivienda, a non-profit entity with extensive experience in everything related to protected housing.
The new office, whose opening was attended by the director of the Canary Islands Housing Institute, Jerónimo Fregel, as well as the general director of Youth of the Government of the Canary Islands, Alejandro Narvay, and representatives of the Cabildo and the City Council, is located on Avenida Medular without number, corner of Aragón street, Eugrobe building, 2nd floor (right next to the Arrecife Courts).
Free advice
The main task of the Youth Housing Exchange Offices is to advise and inform citizens, especially young people, about the aid contemplated in the Canary Islands Housing Plan. The Youth Housing Exchange was created by the Government of the Canary Islands in July 1998 with the fundamental objective of providing young people between 18 and 33 years of age residing in the Canary Islands with access to housing through the free management of its purchase or rental.
The services provided by the Youth Housing Exchange Offices are completely free. Among other services, these offices offer specialized advice both economically, technically, and legally to facilitate the purchase and rental of homes.
Apart from managing the aid contemplated in the different programs of the Canary Islands Housing Plan, these offices are responsible for locating privately owned homes that are in good condition and with an adequate quality-price ratio, as well as the free management of their purchase or rental, the preparation and supervision of contracts, the establishment of a multi-risk insurance for the home and other procedures necessary for the formalization of contracts.
22,000 young Canarians have obtained housing through the Exchange
Since last year, a significant increase in the number of rented homes has been observed in the Canary Islands, even reaching the best results in the entire State in this area. The number of homes acquired by young people in the Islands also increased considerably last year, which is related to the improvement of the conditions of the Youth Mortgage that has been adapted to the new circumstances of the real estate market.
In the period 2005-2006, 2,189 homes were rented in the Canary Islands through the service offered by the Youth Housing Exchange. At the moment there are 3,500 apartments with a current rental contract in the exchange.
In the period 2001-2006, a total of 11,393 young people from the different islands of the Archipelago have accessed rental housing through the Youth Housing Exchange. In 2006 alone, thanks to the Youth and Empty Housing Exchange, access to housing has been facilitated to nearly 8,000 young Canarians.
In general, the data obtained shows that since the Youth Housing Exchange began operating in the Canary Islands, access to housing has been facilitated to some 22,000 young people from the different islands of the Archipelago.
Youth Mortgage
The Youth Mortgage improves the conditions of mortgage loans for young people, allowing them to choose between different options the initial interest rate and the opening commission. In the period 2001? 2006, 10,430 young Canarians have accessed housing financed with the Youth Mortgage. The homes financed through this mortgage in the aforementioned period were 5,648 in total.
The profile of the young people who have financed the purchase of a home through the Youth Mortgage corresponds to young people of both sexes between the ages of 26 and 30, with secondary education, a permanent job and a gross monthly income of between 1,200 and 1,500 euros.
Empty Housing Exchange
The Empty Housing Exchange, from which all citizens residing in the Canary Islands can benefit without age limit, aims to put on the rental market privately owned homes that are unoccupied and that offer a good quality-price ratio. In addition to a series of guarantees for the owners, the Empty Housing Exchange offers a multitude of legal, technical and economic advantages for both the owners of the homes and the tenants of the same.
The owner of an empty home who decides to include it in the exchange will have an aid of 6,000 euros, plus another that can reach up to 12,000 euros to finance up to 50% of the rehabilitation expenses of said home if necessary, with the condition that, once rehabilitated, it is used for rent through the program. Therefore, an owner can obtain up to 18,000 euros in aid, which is the highest amount granted throughout the State for the same purpose. The purpose of these aids is to promote the exit to the market of the unoccupied residential park, which is one of the priority objectives of the Canary Islands Housing Plan.
Canary Islands Housing Plan
From 2006, both the Youth Housing Exchange and the Empty Housing Exchange have become part of the lines of action of the Canary Islands Housing Plan, increasing in this way the aid and subsidies for this program. In addition, for the first time, the Canary Islands Housing Plan includes a specific program aimed at promoting young people's access to housing, taking into account that it is the group that encounters the greatest difficulties in this process. With the new Plan, young people will be entitled to an additional subsidy to that established in general for the acquisition of newly built protected homes, as well as for the promotion for own use, self-construction and acquisition of used homes, and the aid to entry may reach up to 22,000 euros, which is the highest amount granted throughout the State for this same purpose.
Island of Lanzarote
The execution of the Canary Islands Housing Plan in the period 2002? 2006 on the island of Lanzarote has allowed access to 1,632 protected homes, which has required an investment of 23,891,353 euros.
Through the Youth Mortgage, 117 homes have been financed so far on the island.
ACN Press
