The Barcelona Metropolitan Housing Observatory (O-HB), in collaboration with the Agrupació Arquitectura i Sostenibilitat (AUS, Architecture and Sustainability Group) of the Architects’ Association of Catalonia, and the support of the housing areas of the Barcelona City Council , the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), the Barcelona Provincial Council and the Government of Catalonia, has launched a survey with the aim of knowing in detail the impact of Covid-19 on the housing sector.
At a moment when confinement obliges us to spend much more time at home than usual, the O-HB’s “Inhabitants in confinement” survey seeks to know what changes have occurred in the use patterns of homes and their inhabitability conditions. The survey also asks about the economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis and the difficulties it can cause when facing the payment of rent and mortgages, among other aspects. All citizens aged between 14 and 99 can answer the survey by clicking on the following link.
The O-HB, which forms part of the Barcelona Institute of Regional and Metropolitan Studies, is currently working on the extraction and analysis of data on housing, overload, rent and ownership, which, along with this survey, serves to provide support for the design of public policies and actions from the public and private sectors in response to the effects of Covid-19.
Extraordinary measures to tackle Covid-19 in the housing sphere
The sanitary crisis caused by Covid-19 is having and will continue to have substantial consequences at the economic and social levels. Accordingly, a number of institutions have approved measures to assist all those families who may see their incomes reduced and therefore have difficulties in paying their rent or mortgage instalments.
On April 6 this year, Barcelona City Council issued a Mayoral Decree providing for a moratorium until August for everyone who lives in a home of the public housing stock. The State Government has issued two decrees, Royal Decree-Law 8/2020 and Royal Decree-Law 11/2020, which establish measures both for people living in rental homes and for homeowners with a mortgage or non- mortgage credit or loan. The measures addressed to people living in rented homes include rent moratorium and reduction for people in a situation of vulnerability, extraordinary extension of the rent agreement or extraordinary suspension of eviction procedures. In the case of homeowners with a mortgage credit, they can apply for a moratorium to adjourn the payment of their instalments.
You can find all the detailed information on the extraordinary measures for tackling the economic and social consequences of Covid-19 in the housing sphere on the IMHAB website. You can also refer to the Frequently Asked Questions page to help resolve any further questions you may have.