Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has unveiled the first national portal for public housing in Spain, a platform designed to streamline access to affordable rental homes. The initiative, launched through the State Housing and Land Agency CASA 47, starts with 800 properties and is expected to expand by 1,500 units across the country in the coming months, according to La Moncloa.
Speaking at the event "More public housing, more affordable housing" in Madrid, Sánchez framed the portal as a response to what he called an "obstacle course" for people seeking a home. The aim, he said, is to make the process of finding affordable housing "swift and transparent," with applicants able to track the allocation of homes in real time.
How the portal works
The CASA 47 portal allows prospective tenants to browse available public housing and apply based on their needs and financial situation. The initial stock will be replenished quarterly as new homes are completed, as part of the government's goal to increase the state's affordable housing inventory.
Rents are set according to the characteristics of each property and the economic conditions of the municipality and region. Crucially, tenants will not pay more than 30% of their income in rent, a threshold Sánchez described as "affordable rent" that reflects "realistic rents for real wages." Contracts are initially for 14 years, with the possibility of extension up to 75 years.
One of the most distinctive features is the permanent protection of these homes. Sánchez pledged that CASA 47 properties will remain in the public stock "forever," regardless of economic or political cycles. He criticised past practices where protected housing lost its status, insisting that "what is built through everyone's efforts must remain at the service of everyone."
Government defends intervention
Sánchez explicitly defended state intervention in the housing market, responding to critics by saying: "Some will say that this measure is 'interventionist' in the housing market. It is, and proudly so, because the market is broken." He pointed to an eightfold increase in the housing budget and the implementation of the Housing Law in designated high-pressure areas.
According to government figures, more than nine million people live in one of the 317 municipalities classified as high-pressure areas. Sánchez cited Barcelona, where the price of new contracts has fallen by 4.7% since its designation, and several municipalities in Gipuzkoa, where prices have dropped by nearly 4%.
The portal is part of a broader strategy to mobilise affordable housing. Sánchez noted that over 120,000 affordable rental homes have already been mobilised, and in the first quarter of this year, 2,800 new homes were put out to tender—the largest volume of public tendering in 18 years. The 2026–2030 State Housing Plan, approved in April, has a budget of €7 billion, three times more than its predecessor.
Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez stressed that the allocation process must be public to prevent abuses, such as social housing being awarded to "councillors, municipal architects or relatives." She also highlighted the recovery of assets from Sareb, the country's bad bank, which will make more than 42,000 homes and 2,500 plots of land available, along with nearly 2,500 homes currently being tendered.
Rodríguez called on regional governments and town councils to "pull together in the same direction" and expressed confidence in reaching parliamentary agreements. The initiative comes as Spain grapples with a housing crisis that has become a top political issue, with similar challenges across Europe. As timber construction and other innovations are explored elsewhere, Spain's approach focuses on expanding public stock and regulating rents.
The CASA 47 portal is a test of whether state-led housing can deliver at scale. With rents linked to income and long-term contracts, it offers a model that could influence other European countries facing affordability pressures. Whether it succeeds will depend on the pace of construction and the cooperation of regional authorities, which hold significant powers over housing policy in Spain's decentralised system.
