Valencia Launches Municipal Rental Agency Offering Homes 20% Below Market Price

On July 17, the Valencia City Council launched its new Municipal Rental Agency (Agencia Municipal del Alquiler). The newly established body aims to tackle the local housing crisis by offering tenants apartments at rates 20% below market value while providing unprecedented security and financial guarantees to property owners.

Under the scheme, the city guarantees that landlords will receive their rent payments during the first week of every single month, eliminating the risk of default. In addition, the municipality will take charge of minor apartment maintenance and repairs. In exchange, landlords must agree to hand over the management of their properties to the agency for a period of seven years.

The primary goal of the initiative is to "mobilise" approximately 8,000 empty apartments across Valencia. Local authorities identified these vacant properties by analysing municipal water consumption data. Currently, these flats remain off the market because owners fear problematic tenants, non-payment, or the threat of illegal squatting (okupas).

The program is built upon a landmark agreement between the municipal housing company Aumsa, the Official College of Real Estate Agents (COAPIV), and the Association of Real Estate Professionals of Valencia (APIVA).

Lease agreements will be signed directly by the Municipal Rental Agency itself. Consequently, if a tenant falls behind on payments or any other dispute arises, Aumsa will handle all administrative and legal issues directly, leaving the property owner entirely unaffected.

Aumsa will oversee a rigorous tenant screening and selection process. Officials have clarified that this program is not social housing; instead, it is designed for specific demographics, such as young professionals and families looking to move out of their parents' homes who are currently priced out of the conventional rental market. The apartments offered are not publicly owned assets or part of the state housing stock but private properties entrusted to the city’s care.

The list of available properties is accessible on the official portal agenciamunicipaldealquiler.com. Additionally, a free telephone hotline (900 22 22 15) has been set up to assist both prospective tenants and landlords interested in joining the scheme.