XHXifres d’Habitatge ///////////////////////////////////////////// 38 1ST HALF 2017 Contents ///////////////////////////////////////////// Xifres d’Habitatge Presentation: 3 No. 38. 1st half of 2017 Josep Maria Montaner, Barcelona City Councillor for Housing and Renovation Collection: Xifres d’Habitatge 1. Figures for Barcelona 7 Coordination: Communication Department of the Barcelona 2. Figures for districts 15 Municipal Housing and Renovation Institute Managing and analysing data: Appendix of tables and graphics 37 Information System Department of the Barcelona Municipal Housing and Renovation Institute and the Barcelona Metropolitan Sources and methodology 51 Observatory for Housing Editing board: Josep Maria Montaner, Javier Burón, Àngels Mira, Carles Donat, Núria Ventura and Jordi Palay Published by: Barcelona City Council Barcelona Municipal Housing and Renovation Institute All publishing rights reserved Graphic design and layout: Gerard Medina. Ideas, design and communication Editorial department: Image and Editorial Services Department ISSN 2604-7225 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Presentation //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Josep Maria Montaner Barcelona City Councillor for Housing and Renovation n the era of data analysis and big data, we have to make the and the Metropolitan Area all participate, and which aims to best use of innovations that allow us to employ that data in unify data, synthesise and systemise the available information Ithe development of public policies for city residents. It is the on housing while producing new data, as well as developing analysis and knowledge of this data which enables us to make assessment and analysis tasks that are useful for both the the best possible decisions. Administration and the general public. One of the 2016-2025 Right to Housing Plan's lines of action is to Within the framework of normalising data, we have also improve knowledge about the city's housing stock. It is essential initiated a new phase in this publication. Xifres d’Habitatge to update and obtain high-quality data in order to improve the not only operates within the context of evaluation and planning and development of the city's housing policies. accountability of the Administration's accounts, but also For this reason, among other lines of action, we promoted the highlights the data that justifies and supports the housing Barcelona Metropolitan Housing Observatory, a body in which policies that are being carried out in this term of office, policies the City Council, the Generalitat, Barcelona Provincial Council which aim to guarantee and protect the right to housing. Å ››››››››››› ›››››››››››Housing Figures ››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› Figures 01 for Barcelona uring the first half of 2017, market prices purchasing operations in the first half of 2017 for both rental and purchased accommo- were those carried out by Spanish natural persons Ddation in Barcelona city continued to rise. (5,453), followed by those made by legal persons At the same time, Barcelona City Council's actions (1,799) and lastly, those carried out by foreign to tackle the emergency housing situations inher- natural persons (1,328). All three types of buyer ited from the post-economic crisis period and the increased during the second half of 2017, with production of new affordable-housing stock, es- an increase of 25.2% for Spanish natural persons, tablished in the 2016-2025 Right to Housing Plan, 21.9% for foreign natural persons and 14% for le- were reinforced. ››››››››››››››››››››››››››››› gal persons. Regarding the city's housing market, the recovery Carles Donat One of the main consequences of the increase in of housing market activity continued during the Head of Projects the number of natural-person buyers is the in- first half of 2017, with a notable increase in rental for the Barcelona crease in the number of mortgages. During the and purchasing operations in Barcelona, in spite Metropolitan Housing first half of 2017, 5,748 mortgages were registered, of the continuing price rises mentioned above. Observatory (O-HB) an increase of 28.3% over the previous six months. Meanwhile, the construction of residential build- The average mortgage amount was €187,220, ings continued to recover, with the highest figures which was 3.7% higher, while the average mort- since 2008. gage length was 270 months, 3.4% more than for More specifically, during the first half of 2017 in the previous six months. Barcelona city, there were 8,557 purchasing oper- In the rental market, there were 23,240 contracts ations, of which 589 (6.8%) were newly-built and registered, which is the highest figure since data 7,971 (93.2%) second-hand properties. Purchas- has been available. However, it must be remem- ing operations increased for eight consecutive bered that with the available statistics it is not six-month periods, after one of the lowest figures possible to differentiate between newly-signed in the series was recorded in the first half of 2013 contracts and renewals. Therefore, these figures (4,216 transactions). It should be remembered that could be significantly affected by contracts signed the highest value of the series was in the first half of three years ago, which, in accordance with the lat- 2006, when 12,294 operations were registered. est modification to the Urban Rental Law, would Regarding the type of buyer, the most numerous be entering their renewal period. In any event, the ››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››››8 / BARCELONA vitality of the rental market is quite clear. For ex- >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> As part of the 'proper use of housing' strategic ample, the 23,240 contracts registered in the first In the first half of line, the number of dwelling units listed in the So- half of 2017 more than double the number signed cial-Housing Applicants Register was 34,081, and 2017, there were in the first half of 2006 (11,976), at the end of the 7,517 new applications were registered during last property boom. 1,926 dwellings in the first half of 2017. Regarding the allocation of Regarding prices, in the first half of 2017 the av- the project phase, social housing, 14 newly-built dwellings, 82 sec- erage price for a new dwelling in Barcelona was 294 under ond-hand dwellings and 123 emergency dwellings € 2 € 2 4,134/constructed m , 3,535/constructed m for construction and were allocated. second-hand dwellings, and €13.21/constructed The 'expanding the affordable-housing stock' m2 for rental dwellings per month. This means 250 completed strategic line also maintained its efforts to pro- that, based on the lowest price registered in the dwellings duce new housing. In this sense, in the first half first half of 2014, there was an accumulated in- >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> of 2017, there were 1,926 projected dwellings, an crease of 32.2% for second-hand dwellings and increase of 600 dwellings in one six-month period, 29.2% in the rental sector. 294 under construction and 250 completed dwell- The growth in analysed housing-market indi- ings, compared to the 547 under construction for cators can also be extended to residential con- the previous year. Regarding the developments struction. In the first half of 2017, permits to build offered by delegated operators, in the first half of 1,453 dwellings were issued, the highest value for 2017 there were 72 dwellings under construction the first six months of the year since 2008, when and 106 in the project phase. Regarding social 1,615 licences were issued. This means four years housing, there were 621 social-housing dwellings of accumulated growth in construction since the under construction in the first half of 2017. Mean- lowest value in the first half of 2013, when only while, 80 dwellings were acquired, so that the 375 licences to build dwellings were issued. total number of acquisitions since 2016 was 258 In terms of monitoring policies, it must be remem- dwellings, and 99 private dwellings were acquired, bered that the information presented is struc- with a total number of 924 dwellings with existing tured in accordance with the strategic lines of the contracts in the Rented Housing Bureau and the 2016-2025 Right to Housing Plan. During the first municipal rental programme. six months of 2017, the strategic line concerning Lastly, in the strategic line focusing on 'renova- 'emergency housing and residential inclusion' tion', subsidies were awarded to 4,959 dwellings foresaw an increase in services linked to this stra- in the first half of 2017, 4,916 of which were allo- tegic line, compared to the annual figure for 2016. cated to the renovation of communal elements Specifically, during the first half of 2017, there and 43 to dwelling interiors. Altogether, the ren- were 143,193 in-person interviews and 7,322 le- ovation subsidies involved a total investment of gal-advice consultations at the Network of Hous- €23.1 million, an increase which triples the invest- ing Offices, compared to 222,271 interviews and ment made in 2016, of which €8.8 million were 9,766 legal advice consultations during the whole public subsidies. of 2016. There were also 795 mediations related to rental problems and 207 intermediation process- es related to mortgage debt. Regarding evictions, 1,246 dwelling