Housing leases, COVID-19 epidemic and alarm status

Abstract

The situation of paralysis to which the whole of Spanish society (and its productive fabric) has been led by confinement decisions (consequence of the regulation of the state of alarm and its extensions), have directly determined the loss or reduction of income of a good part of the population, singularly, selfemployed workers, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs and employed workers. This logically affects their ability to meet the daily expenses, among which is the payment of the rent of their habitual residence. The Royal Decree Law 11/2020 introduces a series of measures whose beneficiaries are the tenants classified as vulnerable by the Royal Decree Law. These measures are: a moratorium on the payment of rent or a remission of 50% of the rent in lessors-large holders; the granting by credit institutions of loans guaranteed and subsidized by the State for the payment of rental income; direct State aid for the payment of these loans; housing solutions in publicly owned housing or voluntarily assigned to the administration; and failing that, aid of which they are beneficiaries, on behalf of vulnerable people, administrations, public companies and non-profit entities whose purpose is to provide housing solutions to such people. The Royal Decree Law also provides for the extraordinary suspension of evictions for the vulnerable tenant for a maximum period of 6 months from its entry into force (April 2, 2020) and an extraordinary extension of all housing lease contracts that end between April 2, 2020 and two months after the end of the alarm status, for a period of up to 6 months from the expiration date (whenever requested by the tenant).