The current housing problem and the constant increases in rental prices are a problem for many residents who face high rents. In this scenario, we must add the phenomenon of ‘colivings’ and how it directly affects the residents of large Catalan cities, as is the case of Sant Cugat.
The city council works to “stop the rise of a housing model imposed by large real estate companies.” Nova Fincawhich expels families from Sant Cugat from their city”.
This is how the housing councilor explains it, Francesc Duch (ERC)to this newspaper, who assures that the Sant Cugat Town Hall is “aware of the situation of many families in the city” who are affected by the move that the company Nova Finca has recently silently announced, ceasing to renew contracts for tenants to restore the apartment block building and convert it in individual rooms.
Nova Finca has a total of 28 buildings in Sant Cugat and has already announced, through its website –Sendia Coliving– the construction of ‘colivings’ in the Eixample, Can Ganxet, Coll Favà and El Monestir neighborhoods. Thus, for months he stopped renewing his contracts little by little, as the newspaper ‘ARA’ reported, saying that they wanted to do a ‘coliving’ in Can Ganxet as a pilot test.
The City Council calls it a “change of housing that harms the families of Sant Cugat”, what were family apartments will become individual rooms, of which their tenants will have general services: swimming pool, kitchen, cleaning services.
In this way, they invite their future clients to join this housing model that they describe as “the meeting of the perfect balance between coexistence and individuality”, something that is far from “the needs of the families that currently live (or even now they did it) on the floors”, according to what they say from the Sant Cugat Llogateres Union.
The City Council studies stopping it
This same Monday, October 30, the housing councilor met, Francesc Duch (ERC)the councilor for urban planning and the environment, Àngel Pedrós (Junts), together with three affected neighbors with the aim of putting on the table different ways to tackle this phenomenon. The local executive aims to stop the modus operandi of the real estate company through a “possible modification of the urban planning ordinance or other formulas that they are currently working on”, as was done in April 2021 to limit tourist apartments to through a modification of the General Metropolitan Plan (PGM)although as Duch details “the current proposals must be matured and the technical details that would entail must be specified.”
In any case, the councilor points out that the City Council is not against the ‘colivings’, but against the “expulsion of the families from Sant Cugat.”
Increasingly affected
Currently, there are some 100 neighbors already affected, 60 have contacted the Sindicat de Llogateres de Sant Cugat, although for the Sindicat the figure “is not representative”, since “we know that many more will come. This is the beginning. We know that the situation is It will take longer, it may take years,” he details. It is expected that, at a minimum, this move will end up affecting a total of 300 neighbors.
A Affected neighbor and member of the Union, who prefers to remain anonymous, explains to this newspaper that more and more people will be affected and that they will slowly realize it. As an example, he explains that a few days ago the same company installed a Wi-Fi distributor on a staircase, “something anomalous”, but that he himself reflects that “it gives a clue to know that these homes will also be converted into rooms.” , once their contract ends.” “It is no longer just a price increase, but also a change in model that directly expels the neighbors,” he denounces.
From the Sindicat de Llogeteres they explain to this newspaper that a light will imminently be lit campaign against Nova Finca which is expected with large demonstrations to denounce “this race of speculation and private profit in a general situation of lack of rental and rental housing.”
High returns
Sant Cugat is on the podium of cities richest in Catalonia (third position) and with the highest rental income (fifth position with 1,269.51 euros per month in the second quarter of 2023, according to the latest data from Incasol). In any case, beyond this ranking, the reality of many residents of Sant Cugat, especially young people, cannot pay the rent “so they are forced to leave the city.”
Related news
This was pointed out by the previous government who presented a new neighborhood in the city to stop the expulsion of young people from Sant Cugat, a project that will continue, according to the new mayor, Josep Maria Vallès (Junts), at a press conference.
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