Begoña Alfaro (Terrassa, Barcelona, 42 years old) is a counselor for Housing, Youth and Migration Policies of the Government of Navarra, where she has lived since she was eight years old. From his paternal town, Carcastillo, he moved to Pamplona to study Law. After finishing his degree, he stayed to practice in the Navarrese capital, where he continues to live in an apartment he owns. But that lawyer, who became an activist with the Platform for People Affected by Mortgage (PAH) when the burst of the real estate bubble shook the economic and social foundations of Spain, is now third vice president of the regional Executive and directs its housing policies. She does so as the only representative of the Contigo-Zurekin coalition and without complexes: in the interview she defends the need to deploy all the measures, whether she likes them more or less. From direct rental subsidies, which recognize that they end up benefiting landlords, to .
Ask. When will the first tensioned rental areas come into force in Navarra?
Answer. We are talking about 21 municipalities that cover 68.3% of the Navarrese population. The idea is to start the formal procedure in January 2025 and we could have the final declaration order around the month of March. We have set a period of six months to work with the municipalities that wish to do so to enrich the plan with the measures that they can also put on the table. These measures will be put into practice in the second half of the year.
P. Will it be a single stressed area or by municipalities? Will they lower the threshold to be a large holder?
R. The declaration will be by municipal terms. A different issue is whether it is of interest to address municipalities jointly due to the reality of the territory. It’s something we’ll have to see as we go. And if, .
P. Will the declaration and the price limit be enough to control the rent?
R. It is by no means the only measure. To address the problem there is no magic formula, there is no single tool, there is no single measure that is a panacea. We need to develop all the measures within our reach.
P. Which is it?
R. I like to insist on the idea that the declaration of stressed market areas is not an end in itself. The tool is the plan of measures in which we are going to talk about promoting new protected housing for rent and improving the conditions of the rental pool to ensure that people who have second or third homes that are not in use make them available to the Government of Navarre. And we are also talking about working on a registry of empty homes that we will have finalized at the end of the year to encourage them to go on the market.
P. Their political spectrum usually distances themselves from building more houses.
R. In the department we doubt that with the empty housing that may appear in the coming months we will be able to meet the demand that exists at affordable prices. In our community there are nearly 19,000 people registered in the census of applicants for protected housing. There is no single tool that we have to deploy and that involves promoting new housing. We are always talking about protected rental housing, which has also been permanent in our community since 2022.
P. The provincial government has recently approved new incentives for owners. What is it about?
R. We have the public rental pool managed by Nasuvinsa, in which citizens leave their home empty for a minimum period of seven years in exchange for a subsidy and payment of a stipulated price per square meter. The people who give up their home do not have a speculative spirit, the price they receive, even if we are going to improve it, does not allow us to further increase this escalation of exorbitant prices in which we find ourselves. And we have also considered tax incentives for owners who rent their homes in stressed market areas.
P. How many homes does Nasuvinsa have and what is the goal?
R. We have around 1,000 homes transferred to the rental pool, 1,500 homes are managed directly through Nasuvinsa and another 3,000 are in collaboration with private developers who receive up to 35% of the construction cost. Through the David and Emancipa programs of direct aid for young people’s access to rent, we are reaching 6,000 people. Therefore, our coverage reaches between 35% and 40% of the 30,000 homes in the rental park.
P. What policies do they have in Navarra that work and could other autonomies copy?
R. I am not the one to give lessons to anyone and I understand that socioeconomic reality has nothing to do with it in many cases. But without a doubt I would say that I humbly believe that it is a measure that all autonomous communities should approve. In Navarra, at the rate at which subsidized housing has been built and if it had been in force, now our public housing stock could perfectly resemble that of central European countries, which we understand is where we have to look.
P. The youth bonus has generated debate about whether it inflates prices, but you have similar regional subsidies.
R. I think it is a measure that right now we could not afford not to have, although I am in favor of working so that the day comes when it is not necessary. It doesn’t stop being a. The moment we manage to have a public housing stock that allows us to meet the demand that exists, this type of aid will not be necessary.
P. Other communities claim that you make more policies because your financing is better…
R. Self-government and the fiscal and tax independence of our community is a key tool, I think that is beyond any doubt. But it’s not only that. We have had a regional housing law since 2010 that recognizes the subjective right to housing. What I believe our community has is a strong conviction to support public services and guarantee the right to housing for all citizens. It is not only taxation, it is conviction and commitment to public affairs.
P. What do you plan to do with tourist housing?
R. Navarra is not a community under tension in this sense, but we are beginning to see a significant increase, which is also very focused in Pamplona, Tudela and Baztán. Here the role of the town councils and the Tourism registry that establishes which rentals are legal is key. The mediation service that neighbors can turn to if they know of illegal apartments will allow us to do detection work and reinforcement of the inspection service for next year will be key. We also want to assess the possibility of penalizing or taxing this type of rental and empty housing. We do not want to miss a single opportunity that allows us to direct the home, existing or new, to where it needs to go.
P. Other departments intervene there…
R. It will require analysis and joint work, but I can assure you that in Navarra the conviction of the different administrative bodies to address this problem is shared. Before the announcement of the municipalities that met the requirements to be declared stressed, I contacted the city councils. There were mayors of all political stripes and the unanimous response was positive. In this preparation of plans linked to stressed market areas we have a great opportunity to work together between Administrations.
P. Why does it seem that it is so difficult to reach agreements?
R. Because it is used as a throwing weapon based on partisan interests. And I believe that it should be left out of this type of partisan strategies, as a matter of responsibility and commitment to citizens.
P. Do you see it possible to reach a State pact?
R. I want to be optimistic, and I believe that a minimum consensus between all Administrations would be possible, regardless of political color. It wouldn’t be easy, I also say that. But I think we are already taking time to take it seriously and get down to work.
P. And does this philosophy apply? Do you talk to the opposition?
R. Navarra has instruments that have been created and approved by progressive governments and others that have not. There are some shared minimums that allow work in our community to be easier. There is a shared commitment, although we propose different models.
P. And yet there are difficulties, as in the rest of the communities. Does the housing problem have a solution?
R. I think it has a solution, but we also have to manage expectations. Housing times are very slow. Therefore, I think there is a solution and I think it will not happen this term. I have never characterized myself as selling smoke because it would seem irresponsible to me. Whoever says that this legislature is going to solve the housing problem, I am not going to say that they are lying, but we are going to think that they are not aware of the challenge that lies ahead of us.
