Tomorrow, the Community of Madrid is opening one of the most powerful affordable rental calls of the year: 422 public housing units in Pinto, with garage, swimming pool, and gym, starting at €574 per month under the Plan Vive. These are not traditional social housing units , but rather subsidized apartments at reduced prices, up to 40% below market value, according to the regional government, designed for young people and families with average incomes who have been left out of the free rental market in the south of the region. The keys to obtaining one of these apartments are three fundamental criteria: age, income, and registration.
The development is located on Calle Isaac Albéniz, in the La Tenería II neighborhood, and comprises 221 one-bedroom apartments, 173 two-bedroom apartments, and 28 three-bedroom apartments, all with a terrace or balcony, one or two parking spaces, and a storage room. In addition, the development will have a communal swimming pool, gym, children’s area, and sports court, i.e., common areas that are difficult to find in the standard rental market at these prices.
The reference rents set in the Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid start, for 2025, at €443.75 per month for one-bedroom apartments, €545.68 for two-bedroom apartments, and €705.07 for three-bedroom apartments, to which community fees of up to a maximum of 18% of the rent can be added. In practice, this puts the final rents “from €574” for the smallest types, according to estimates released by the Community and the specialized media. The contracts will be for up to ten years, with extensions, and the homes will be delivered unfurnished but with an equipped kitchen (oven, induction hob, extractor hood, sink) and modular wardrobes.
Income: the balance between being able to pay and not “going overboard”
The second key filter is the income level of the household. To be eligible for one of these flats, three basic financial conditions must be met:
- Minimum income: at least 1.5 times the IPREM (Public Income Index) among all members of the family unit, which guarantees that they will be able to afford the rent.
- Maximum income: no more than 5.5 times the IPREM in the case of these publicly subsidized basic price rental homes (VPPB), a threshold that prevents high-income households from accessing them.
- Maximum effort: the sum of the rent and pass-through expenses cannot exceed 35% of the family’s net annual income, a clause designed to prevent situations of over-indebtedness.
Registration: priority for those who already live or work in Pinto
Image courtesy of: Community of Madrid
The third major criterion is having roots in the municipality. To ensure that the development primarily serves local residents, priority will be given to those who have been registered in Pinto or have worked there for at least three years. This is not an exclusive requirement, as interested parties from other municipalities may also apply, but it is a decisive factor in the final assessment: all other conditions being equal, the homes will first be allocated to those who can prove that they have a prior connection with the locality.
In addition, there are other general requirements, such as using the apartment as your primary residence, not owning any other property in Spain, having Spanish nationality or legal residence, and being up to date with payments to the administration. Registration will be done through the official Plan Vive website, and the lists of those admitted and on the waiting list will be published after the deadline, which opens on Tuesday, March 3, at 9:00 a.m. According to the Community itself, demand could far exceed supply.