The difficulty in accessing housing is no longer a problem exclusively for younger people and is beginning to increasingly affect retired people, many of whom are forced to share a house because the pension they receive does not allow them to live alone in a house. The reality of the real estate market is pushing more and more elderly people into situations of economic and social fragility, with many ending up living in shared homes.
One of the biggest challenges that both Spain and Portugal currently face is housing. The shortage of supply, partly associated with the proliferation of tourist accommodation and real estate speculation, combined with constantly rising prices, has made access to a home increasingly difficult.
For a long time, this crisis was mainly associated with young people, with lower incomes and at the beginning of their working lives. However, the situation has worsened to such an extent that it has also affected retired people and the elderly, many of whom have insufficient pensions to support current income levels, according to the Spanish digital newspaper Noticias Trabajo.
Retirees forced to share a house
Cases like that of María Teresa, a Spanish pensioner who at the age of 80 is forced to share a house to pay her rent, have become increasingly common. Encarna is in a similar situation, whose pension does not allow her to rent a house alone.
“My economic capacity cannot support rent”, lamented Encarna on the program Y Ahora Sonsoles, broadcast in Spain. The 67-year-old retiree explains that she had no alternative but to share a house, as she cannot afford a full income.
“I receive around 800 euros in pension and the rent for a room already exceeds 500 euros,” he said, describing a situation that is repeated across the country.
Much of the pension absorbed by income
Despite the difficulties, Encarna admits that coexistence also has a positive side, helping to combat loneliness. “I’m from Barcelona and my family is spread out all over Catalonia. Here, in Valencia, I’m alone. I have friends, but not family”, she explained, quoted by the same source.
In many cases, elderly people who do not have their own home are forced to use a very significant part of their pension to pay rent, leaving little margin for essential expenses such as food, health or energy.
This reality is increasing the economic and emotional vulnerability of the older population, who are forced to give up autonomy at a stage of life in which stability should be guaranteed.
Lack of public responses exacerbates the problem
The lack of effective public policies regarding social housing or affordable rentals contributes to the worsening of the situation. The lack of solutions adapted to the senior population leaves many retirees dependent on the private market, where prices are beyond their reach.
In this context, housing is no longer just an economic issue and begins to play a central role in dignity, well-being and quality of life during old age, according to the previously cited source.
Buying or renting a house has become an impossible mission
This year, the average rental price in Spain is between 13.69 and 14.5 euros per square meter per month, according to data from property portals such as Fotocasa (September this year) and Idealista (October). This means that a standard apartment measuring around 80 square meters can cost approximately 1,095 euros per month, an even higher price in large cities.
As a consequence, rents reached historic highs in many areas of the country, forcing families and workers to allocate an increasing share of their income to housing. However, this scenario does not only affect younger people.
Retirees, many of whom have reduced pensions, directly feel the impact of rising prices, finding themselves forced to share a home or live in less stable conditions at a stage of life when this seemed unthinkable, says .
Situation in Portugal
In Portugal, the pressure on rent is also starting to push some retirees towards solutions such as sharing a house, especially when they do not have their own home. According to the Idealista index, the median advertised price for renting a house in the country was 16.6 euros/m² in November this year, with Lisbon at 22.4 euros/m² and Porto at 17.8 euros/m².
If you do the math roughly, a 60 m² apartment at the national median price is close to 1,000 euros/month, and in Lisbon it can exceed 1,300 euros/month.
The shock becomes clearer when it comes to pensions. A reference value used in State Budget documents for next year indicates that the average old-age pension was around 610.91 euros in December last year, while in the non-contributory regime the monthly amount was set at 255.25 euros, in accordance with Ordinance no. 372-B/2024/1, article 18.
Even without generalizing individual cases, these numbers help to explain why, for some elderly people, rent can absorb a very high share of income and reduce the margin for essential expenses.
From a legal point of view, the framework begins with the right to housing and the State’s duty to promote access conditions. The Basic Housing Law (Law no. 83/2019) enshrines this right and provides for the creation of a system of access to housing with income compatible with family income, serving as the basis for public policies in this area.
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