Housing

This benefit is aimed at natural persons resident in Catalonia, with family unit income that does not exceed the limits established in Resolution TES/126/2021 and who are at risk of residential social exclusion due to non-payment of rent arising from Covid-19.

The following cannot access these benefits:

• Users with legal permission for owned properties or that are managed by the Catalan Housing Agency, as well as any other public administration in general.
• People who have received the offer to access housing from the public rental stock and who have not accepted it, unless for a justified reason, for two years from the date of the renouncement and date of the application for aid.
• People who are entitled to obligatory social rent from a large-scale landlord as a suitable alternative to their situation, unless for a justified reason.
• The person named on the rental agreement or any other member of the family unit who has any of the following connections:
  • Relative through marriage or other similar stable relationship, through consanguinity, adoption or marriage, to the second degree, with the tenants.
  • Shareholders or investors in the companies that act as landlords.

• Be legally resident in Catalonia.
• Be in arrears with rent for sudden, unforeseen circumstances from April 2020.
• The applicant must be the person named on the rental agreement, on a transfer of use, a subletting agreement, a subrogation of rights or any other legal permission that accredits occupancy of the housing that comprises their permanent and habitual dwelling (where they are registered on the electoral roll). If when determining the application, the applicant no longer lives in the housing for which they have requested the benefit, an unfavourable resolution will be given due to non-compliance of the purpose of the urgent benefit.
• The person who is bound to pay the rent, or any of the members of the family unit, are or have been unemployed, in a Temporary Redundancy Plan (ERTO), or employed or self-employed workers have suffered a reduction in income arising from the social and economic impact of Covid-19.
• The applicant, or any other member of the family unit, does not own property.
• Neither the applicant or any member of the family unit is not a relative of any kind of the property owner.
• They must guarantee settlement of the debt using the amount of the benefit. In exceptional circumstances, if proven that an agreement has been reached between the person requesting the benefit and the property owner or administrator to pay the excess of the debt, the application can be assessed and given a favourable resolution.
• Have income in the applicant’s family unit no greater than 2 times the weighted adequate income indicator of Catalonia (IRSC), for people who live alone; no greater than 2.5 times the weighted IRSC for family units of two or more members, and no greater than 3 times the weighted IRSC, for people with disability or severe dependence. Weighting of the income will be done in accordance with the coefficients established by the current Plan for the right to housing. The IRSC tables are valid for each year, are public and can be consulted on the website habitatge.gencat.cat.
• The amount of the rent to be paid by the benefit applicant cannot exceed the following maximum monthly amounts:
  
  • City of Barcelona: 800 euros per month.
  • Province of Barcelona: 800 euros per month.
  • Province of Girona: 550 euros per month.
  • Province of Lleida: 500 euros per month.
  • Province of Tarragona: 550 euros per month.
  • Counties of Les Terres de l’Ebre: 400 euros per month.

To apply for this benefit, the form must be presented with the following documentation.

The information marked with an asterisk (*) corresponds to documentation can be consulted and, therefore, it is not necessary for citizens to include it, if they do not refuse authorisation for its consultation.

• National ID/Foreigner's ID/EU Citizens’ Registry Certificate for the applicant and all the members of the family unit. (*)
• Current cohabitation certificate for the application presentation date, which accredits residence in the property of all the people comprising the family unit. (*)
• Certificates of disability or, if appropriate, reduced mobility that exceeds 33% for any members of the family unit or certificates for people with severe dependency. People who have a Social Security pension for recognised total or absolute permanent incapacity or severe invalidity or with Civil Service pensions who are recognised to have a retirement pension due to permanent incapacity to work, are deemed affected by a disability of 33% for all pertinent purposes, and the document that accredits this circumstance is the INSS [Social Security] or passive classes resolution. Therefore, there is no need to apply for recognition of disability. (*)
• Cadastre or Land Registry information sheet that accredits that none of the members of the family unit owns a property. (*)
• Employment history report issued by the Treasury Department of the Social Security, relating to the applicant and everyone of working age that comprises the family unit. (*)
• Regarding unemployed people, a certificate from the job centre accrediting the amount received during the last month prior to presentation of the application. (*)
• Regarding pensioners, a certificate from the paying bodies accrediting the amount received during the last month prior to presentation of the application. (*)
• Statement of compliance from the applicant relating to whether they have requested or obtained any other public or private aid for the same purpose, comprising a detailed list of the organisations that have granted aid and the amount requested and obtained, if appropriate (included on the application form).
• Statement of compliance of the applicant relating to compliance of the requirements established in the resolution (included on the application form).
• Rental, transfer or subletting agreement in the applicant’s name.
• Receipt of the income of the applicant and each of the working-age members that comprise the family unit. The following documentation must be provided:
  
  • The last payslip prior to presentation of the application; if payslips cannot be provided as they are still not available, the employment contract.
  • Self-employed workers, the last Personal Income tax return. In the event of cessation of the activity for self-employed people, the certificate issued by the corresponding agency or accreditation issued by the bodies.
• Company certificate for the applicant or any of the members of the family unit, accrediting having been affected by a Temporary Redundancy Plan (ERTO).
• If there are other similar circumstances that imply a loss of income and that are impossible to justify, when the applicant is an employee or self-employed, a statement of compliance that justifies the specific circumstance that has caused the reduction in income.
• Family book or equivalent document, if appropriate.
• Legal ruling or agreement of separation or divorce, if appropriate.
• Certificate from the property owner or administrator that accredits the detailed amount of the debt and the corresponding months.
• Bank transfer application to pay the benefit, in the name of the property owner or administrator or in the applicant’s name. To avoid having to go to the financial institution, there is an option to provide a bank account accrediting document and, in the event of instalment arrears, a document accrediting the bank account linked to a mortgage deed.

The Catalan Housing Agency, the local housing offices, the public stocks and organisations that have signed an agreement with the Agency may request, directly or through the collaborating organisations that manage these benefits, complementary documentation to increase its knowledge of the presented application. 

The benefit for paying rent arrears arising from the social and economic impact of Covid-19 corresponds to a maximum amount of 4,500 euros. It can be granted for a maximum debt of twelve months, although the total amount granted does not reach the aforementioned maximum amount.

For the complementary benefit to continue paying rent, the amount is established at 60% of the annual rent for the housing, with a maximum limit of 2,400 euros per housing. It is recognised from the month following the date of the favourable resolution, for twelve months, renewable up to a maximum of 24 more months following presentation of the application.

Payment of the benefit is via ordinary bank transfer to the owner of the housing or the person who legally represents them or to the person designated in the agreements arising from the social mediation processes of the Catalan Housing Agency. In the event that eviction proceedings have been initiated, payment will be made to the Court.

If it is a benefit to continue paying rent, it will be paid to the applicant, once they have accredited they are up-to-date with the payment. The amount can be paid in instalments, within the twelve months following the grant of the benefit.

This process can be requested at any time.

People who have been beneficiaries of this benefit may apply for it again: 

• When the amount granted was less than €4,500, a new benefit can be granted up to this maximum amount, if payment of at least three months is accredited included between the last month of the initially granted benefit and the date of the new application.
• When the amount of the awarded benefit has been €4,500, it cannot be applied for again until at least one year has passed between the date of the resolution and the new application.

The benefit is not compatible with the following situations:

• When another benefit is received for paying rent that is managed by the Catalan Housing Agency, and with the receipt of other aid provided by any Administration or public body for the same monthly payments in the same year and for the same purpose.
• When the benefits are allocated to different monthly payments, and the total amount to be received in the same calendar year does not exceed 4,500 euros.

The deadline for deciding the applications and notifying the resolution is three months from the entry date of the application with the complete documentation. Once this deadline has passed without an express resolution, the interested parties can consider the application dismissed due to administrative silence.

Notification of the processing and resolutions of these benefits will be done via display on the noticeboards of the aid management collaborating agencies, and also on the noticeboards of the file management offices, the electronic board of the Government of Catalonia (e-Tauler).