Shared flats, recipients and conditions: keys to understanding the new youth rental bonus

This aid was announced by the President of the Government last autumn and, although it already has the approval of the Council of Ministers, a negotiation process with the autonomous communities still lies ahead, which will have a say in how the bonus is configured within his territory. We analyze the keys to this measure that seeks to facilitate the rental of the youngest.

What are the conditions I have to meet to collect the bonus?

The Government has approved the general framework of the new ‘Bono Rent Joven’. The baselines will be applicable in all the autonomous communities, although later each of them will be able to introduce their own nuances, because they are the ones that have jurisdiction over housing, according to ministerial sources.

From the outset, only those under 35 years of age can receive the bonus of 250 euros per month. They will be able to have access for a period of two years as long as they have a regular source of income and these are less than three times the Public Indicator of Income for Multiple Effects, the IPREM. That is, about 24,000 euros per year.

The home in which the beneficiary lives will have to be considered habitual and permanent – they cannot be vacation homes – and their perception will be computed as income when making the income statement.

In addition, the bonus is linked to rentals that do not exceed 600 euros per month; or, in the case of renting a room, less than 300 euros, with nuances, as shown below.

But can my autonomous community set different conditions?

Yes. The Government has defined a common design and then each community will have some margin to change the conditions. For example, in large cities where rental prices are higher -there are stressed areas- young people who have rents of up to 900 euros can access the bonus; or who pay up to 450 euros for a room.

These two figures are the maximum -although there is also room to raise them exceptionally- because they have to be defined in the bilateral commissions that make up the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda and each of the autonomous communities.

Is it compatible with other rental aid?

Yes, but not with all. Waiting to see the details of the text that is published this Wednesday in the BOE, the Government does contemplate that the bonus coexists with other aid. For example, with those destined to vulnerable incomes, although that vulnerability has to be determined by each community.

The bonus is also compatible with the non-contributory benefits of Social Security and the Minimum Vital Income. Of course, in these cases, the sum cannot exceed 100% of the rent paid for the rental of the home.

It is also compatible with aid that is included in the State Housing Plan -for example, for victims of gender violence-, although this aspect also has to be negotiated with the autonomous communities. In the case of the funds linked to this state plan, the sum with the youth bonus cannot exceed 75% of the rent.

And what happens if I pay a rent of 200 or 230 euros per month for a flat?

The total amount of aid, at most, is 250 euros per month. If a young person under the age of 35 pays less for rent, the bonus will be limited to the rent they pay. In other words, if you pay 200 euros to rent a flat, your bonus would be 200 euros. The same if you pay 230 euros.

On the other hand, if you pay more than 900 euros per month for a flat in a stressed area of ​​a large city, even if you charge less than three times the IPREM, you will not have access to this bonus. Unless, in the negotiations of the bilateral commissions, different situations are established for exceptional circumstances that, according to Ministry sources, could occur.

What happens if I share a flat?

If a flat is shared for rent, all the tenants have to meet the income requirements limited to around 24,000 euros per year, provided that they are all co-owners in the contract. In this way, there may be tenants of a shared flat – co-holders of the contract – who can receive the aid and others who cannot.

From there, the bonus will be limited to the amount that, by contract, each of them pays. For example, if three people are co-owners of a 900-euro rental apartment in Madrid or Barcelona, ​​each of them can have access to a bonus for the equivalent of 300-euro monthly rent and they can receive the 250-euro.

And if flats are shared that exceed the limits of 600 euros (or 900 euros in stressed areas), again, the conditions remain in the hands of what is negotiated in those bilateral commissions with the autonomous communities, which can establish higher margins. , but always in accordance with the Ministry and in a justified and exceptional manner.

What if I rent a room and pay a different price than my roommates?

The situation is similar. If in a shared apartment the tenants have a contract for rooms -they are not co-owners of the rent of the property- they can receive the bonus if the rent of the room is less than 300 euros or a maximum of 450 euros in stressed areas, provided they are within of those recurring income levels less than three times the IPREM.

Do I have to have an employment contract? What if I am self-employed?

The bonus is intended for young people who earn less than three times the IPREM, either by employment contract or as self-employed. It’s tied to “recurring revenue.” In addition, government sources indicate that it is also planned for students who have a regular source of income.

When am I going to ask for the voucher?

It is not clear. The Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda said this Tuesday in Moncloa that, within a month and a half or two months, the sectoral conference must be convened in which the Ministry and the autonomous communities approve the distribution criteria. Later, these criteria have to be endorsed in the Council of Ministers and, later, again, in that sectoral conference. In addition, on the sidelines are the bilateral commissions with each community. It will be then when the calendar is known.

And when am I going to collect it?

It is also not known. The Government assures that it will have retroactive effects, for rental contracts that were in force on January 1, 2022, also for those signed this year. However, it is not known when or how it will be charged. Why? Because it is the autonomous communities that have to decide how they are going to make the payments, according to Ministry sources. The implementation will be direct by the communities, they add.

Can’t the bonus make rental prices go up? Who is going to watch it?

According to the aforementioned sources, the bonus is not an inflationary factor, because it is linked to contracts that were already in force on January 1 -or new ones- and the contracts have to have a duration of five years in the case of individuals.

Regarding surveillance, once again, the control mechanisms are determined by each regional government.

And if I change my flat, do I lose the aid? What if I move to another autonomous community?

In theory there may be changes of habitual residence, although it remains to be seen what the regional governments think. The Ministry of Transport is going to propose an agreement so that there is mobility and the aid is transferred between communities, if there is a change of work. “We want there to be mechanisms to guarantee labor mobility coupled with aid. We understand that it is a fundamental element that we must promote and facilitate,” the aforementioned sources indicate.