Video: @araigualada / IG
Igualada Lags Behind Peer Towns in Social Housing
The citizen initiative Ara Igualada is urging the municipal government to significantly expand its social rental housing stock, highlighting that only 18 homes are currently available through the city’s affordable rent register. This figure has risen slowly from 15 in 2024, according to data cited from the local housing plan. Alícia Fernández, spokesperson for Ara Igualada, stated that lowering rental prices is the group’s top priority and can only be achieved by increasing the number of homes in the municipal rental pool. She emphasized that housing must be treated as a fundamental right, especially given the ongoing rise in rents and lack of supply in Igualada and across Catalonia.
Calls for Census of Vacant Homes
Pilar Rodríguez, another member of the group, called on the Ajuntament (city council) to actively contact owners of vacant homes to offer financial incentives for renovation. These rehabilitated properties could then be added to the municipal rental housing register. Currently, the exact number of long-term vacant homes is unknown, though the Local Housing Plan estimates around 1,600. Xavi Grados of Ara Igualada stressed the need for a proper census of vacant properties to understand the scale of underused housing. He pointed out that Igualada falls far behind comparable towns: Vic has 278 homes in its municipal rental pool, Vilanova i la Geltrú has 89, and Granollers has 83.
Financial Incentives for Renovation
The group advocates for a targeted information campaign to encourage private owners of vacant homes to apply for municipal grants of up to €25,000 for renovations. These grants, available for both the historic core and other areas of the city, aim to bring empty homes back into use as affordable rentals. Ara Igualada’s demands come ahead of the May 2027 municipal elections, where housing policy is expected to be a key issue. The group is pushing for bolder policies to close the gap with neighbouring municipalities and address the housing crisis.
What This Means for Residents
For renters in Igualada, the shortage of affordable options continues to drive up prices. Expanding the municipal rental register could provide more accessible housing for low- and middle-income households. Residents interested in renting or offering a property through the scheme can find more information via the Ajuntament’s housing portal.
Primary sources: granollers.cat, Sandra.Murillo, Pertany a: Serveis Municipals, Pertany a, Diputació de Barcelona. Reported by veuanoia.cat, X IN, La Veu de l'Anoia.
