Alejandro Marichal: “We are acting with a clear plan to address the housing problem: construction, rehabilitation and rental assistance, with the aim of supporting working families.”
Lucía Jiménez: “We have improved the ordinance by listening to input and adjusting the aid to the reality of the families in the municipality.”
The Housing Department of the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council will submit to the municipal plenary session this Thursday, January 29, the initial approval of two key instruments to strengthen and organize the municipal policy of rental assistance: the new ordinance regulating the program of assistance for the rental of habitual and permanent housing and the Strategic Subsidy Plan 2026-2027 of the Housing area.
Both documents have been promoted by the councilor delegate for Housing, Lucía Jiménez, and coordinated by the first deputy mayor, Alejandro Marichal, with the aim of providing the program with greater regulatory clarity, economic forecasting and adaptation to the current reality of the rental market in the municipality.
On the one hand, the new ordinance establishes the framework for future calls for rental assistance, setting out requirements, criteria, and procedures in a clearer and more consistent manner. The text regulates the granting of subsidies to individuals and families residing in rented accommodation within the municipality, whether in a house or a room, provided it is their primary and permanent residence.
This aid is aimed at families and working individuals, and is expressly distinct from emergency social assistance managed by other departments, such as Social Services. The ordinance increases the minimum residency requirement in San Bartolomé de Tirajana from two to five years.
The updated regulations incorporate two significant changes to broaden access to the aid and adapt it to the current economic climate. First, the minimum income requirement has been eliminated, meaning that any working individual or family can apply for the subsidy as long as their income does not exceed the maximum limit established for each application period. Second, the maximum rental amounts used as a reference for calculating the aid have been updated to reflect current market prices. As explained by the Councilor for Housing, Lucía Jiménez, “We have improved the ordinance by listening to feedback and adjusting the aid to the realities of the rental market in the municipality.”
Specifically, the limit for subsidized housing rent increases from €850 in 2023-2024 to €1.000 in 2025. For large families, the limit rises from €1.000 to €1.100. For room rentals, the limit is updated from €550 to €600. The ordinance also clarifies that these amounts represent the maximum rent considered eligible for subsidy in each case.
In addition, the Plenary will address the 2026-2027 Strategic Subsidy Plan for the Housing area, which establishes the planning framework for these subsidies over the coming years. The plan defines the program's objectives—facilitating access to housing, supporting residential stability, and strengthening social cohesion—as well as the general criteria for awarding subsidies, which will be granted through a competitive process and in accordance with the terms of each call for applications. The document also stipulates that these subsidies are incompatible with other public aid programs intended for the same purpose, thus preventing duplication and ensuring the orderly use of public resources.
Regarding the economic forecast, the Strategic Plan includes an allocation of 200.000 euros, financed with municipal funds, in 2026 to cover the rents paid in 2025, and another 200.000 euros in 2027 to cover the rents corresponding to 2026.
The First Deputy Mayor, Alejandro Marichal, emphasizes that “we are aware that housing is one of the main concerns of our residents, and that is why we are transforming San Bartolomé de Tirajana so that it becomes a place to live again. We are doing so with a clear plan and strategic planning that includes expanding the public housing stock, rehabilitating existing housing, and improving regulations and rental assistance, with a focus on working families.”
Following initial approval by the full council, the ordinance will be subject to a thirty-day public comment period. Once definitively approved, the Housing Department will be able to publish the call for applications in accordance with the new regulations.
