The housing crisis adds a new episode in Andorra la Vella with the direct impact on 25 families. All tenants of two properties located on Avinguda Doctor Mitjavila have received letters from the property informing them that they will have to leave the homes in 2027by not having the will to extend rental contracts. As he has been able to find out diarynotifications indicate that the decision has been taken “within the term and in the form established contractually and legally”and inform in advance of the termination of the leases, asking the neighbors to hand over the keys when the time comes. The case reveals that the end of the extensions is imminent causing attempts to evict tenants and sources familiar with the legislation recommend that those affected seek advice. Because the thaw is pending a law now in parliamentary procedure – yesterday (see page 3) the amendments were voted in full – which will set the rules. And what is intended before approval can be wet paper.
The two blocks of the capital where the property has reported the termination of the contracts.
With the law now in force they are two main casuistries that leave the extensions without effect: that the owner needs the flat for own use or that of a family member or that has to make substantial reforms, relating to safety, health and hygieneand that are incompatible with the occupation of the home. Motivations that must be proven. The bill that sets the regulation from 2027 is subject to changes in the parliamentary procedurebut in any case what the Government has drawn up takes up these two reasons for leaving the extensions without effect that they will rise and establish another, if the house is sold and the new owner needs it to live in, the tenant must leave. And for the homes that for the contract year are released in 2027 (those signed in 2012 or earlier) some limits are established on the increase in the price of the monthly payment, regardless of who the tenant is (the one who was there or a new one) they must be respected. But ignorance and misinformation reigns among those affected. The tenants of Doctor Mitjavila are distributed in two blocks, one with 15 floors and another with 10and in many cases they have been living there for years – even decades – with contracts extended by the rent freeze measures in force since 2019. This case is added to that of the building on Avinguda del Fener, in Escaldeswith another particularity: the sale for around 11 million euros to another owner, an operation that affects 36 flats and three commercial premises for which buyers have been sought and which has been carried out without prior notice to tenants. In both cases, the uncertainty and difficulty in finding alternatives have generated great concern among the residents.
As in the case of Fener, many tenants have lived there for decades
In Doctor Mitjavila, the situation is experienced with a strong emotional charge. Many neighbors explain that they face the future “with fear, anger and insecurity”, not knowing what will happen if the expulsion finally takes effect. One of the residents, who has been living in the same house for 25 years, said that he had never had any problems with the property, not even in the financial sphere, and that the notification came to them completely unexpectedly. “The letter was a surprise”, he explained, regretting that, beyond this writing, they have received no verbal explanation or additional details on the reasons for the decision. Moreover, they report, they have not been offered any alternative: they simply have to leave. Another neighbor described a different but equally complicated situation. In your case, the contract ends in 2027, and the property has proposed a renewal with an increase of around 400 euros per month. Currently, pays 650 euros, but the new proposal exceeds 1,000 euros. As he explained, too you would have been required to start applying this new amount immediately if you want to keep the flat. Faced with this scenario, and with doubts about how the situation will evolve, their intention is to accept the new conditions to avoid being on the streets when 2027 arrivesdespite recognizing that this is an “unsustainable” economic demand in the long term.
In some cases the property proposes “unacceptable” price increases
The profile of those affected shows the vulnerability of the situation. Many are people retirees with old contracts and pensions that hardly exceed 1,500 eurosand in some cases they live alone. Another neighbor consulted, who has lived in the property for 16 years, also received the letter and is in a similar situation. With a pension of 1,300 euros, he explained that the proposed rent increase also exceeds 1,000 euros per montha number that he considers “unacceptable” and that forces him to rethink whether he can continue living in his home. In addition, he emphasized that finding another flat in the current context of the market is “practically impossible”.
