The housing emergency has placed housing policies at the center of the public agenda, and Valencia is no exception to a free market with historic prices. The local government has promoted the Plan + Vivienda with the aim of building around 1,000 protected homes during the term.
The public housing stock managed by the València City Council has increased by 66% in three years, adding 523 homes. With this increase, the public assets reach approximately 1,308 homes, including the direct resources of the Housing Service and developments by the public company Aumsa. As of June 2023, the municipal stock comprised 785 units.
The main driver of these incorporations has been the exercise of the right of first refusal and retraction, which allows the administration to acquire properties from the free market by matching a private buyer's offer. Through this mechanism, 273 homes have been added, including entire residential blocks in Safranar and La Torre.
The Housing area has also utilized property exchanges, transferring municipal land to developers in exchange for completed buildings, thus incorporating another 125 homes. The remaining units, bringing the total to 523, are the result of the completion of ongoing public developments, such as those on Tarongers avenue, in Moreras, Tapineria, and Sogueros.
Despite this boost, the expansion of the public stock is not keeping pace with the growing number of affordable housing applicants. Around 1,200 applicants are on the waiting list of Aumsa for a protected property, a figure that reached 1,900 people last year.
