Visas for reform and restoration of buildings fall by 10.12% until July despite European aid

MADRID, 2 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Building reform and rehabilitation permits reached 17,935 units between January and July, 10.12% less than in the same period of the previous year, despite the fact that the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) contemplates an item of 3,420 million euros, from European funds, for rehabilitation aid.

Of those 17,935 visas, 14,493 were intended for housing reform and rehabilitation, 12.47% less than between January and July 2021, while visas for other uses increased by 1.19% in the first seven months of the year , up to 3,442 units, according to data from the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma) provided to Europa Press.

The Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, announced earlier this week that 80% of households can now apply for European subsidies for residential rehabilitation, within the framework of the investments planned in the PRTR.

Almost all the communities have already published the calls for aid from the rehabilitation program for economic and social recovery in residential environments, endowed with 3,420 million euros, of which 1,151 million have already been mobilized and 1,389 million are in process.

The Mitma estimates that the Spanish building stock has approximately 25.7 million homes, of which about 19 million are primary residences. Of them, more than half were built before 1980, so "there is much room for improvement" in terms of energy efficiency. In addition, more than a million are in poor condition, deficient or dilapidated.

Sánchez also commented that the refurbishment rate in Spain does not reach 0.1% per year of total housing, so the funds are intended to help promote this type of investment.

Mitma's goal is to achieve some 300,000 actions per year, which is the goal set for 2030 in the Integrated National Plan for the Economy and Climate, so that by that year 1.2 million homes have been rehabilitated.

The manufacturer of thermal insulation systems and construction materials Sto considers that this drop in rehabilitation visas responds to the "lack of a single model for the management of aid" and believes that its regional distribution "reduces efficiency to the process".

"There are regions that have not yet started the procedure to request them and these aids expire in 2023, so there are only a few months left to undertake the works," they point out.

To this is added a "complex economic context" and "ignorance of the real savings that having an efficient home means," according to a statement. Likewise, among the possible causes of this decline in restoration, Sto cites the lack of qualified labor and the low adoption of innovation and digital processes, which means that construction continues to be "a traditional industry".

However, Sto defends that the Spanish market offers many opportunities to promote rehabilitation and make this sector "one of the main levers for construction and the economy".