The Barcelona City Council begins the process of awarding seven municipal properties in Casa Orsola, in the Eixample. Six of them will be raffled among those registered in the protected housing registry, and one is reserved for social entities.
The Barcelona City Council has kicked off the process of awarding seven apartments owned by the city in the iconic Casa Orsola, located in the Eixample district. Six of these will be raffled among those registered in the Official Protected Housing Applicants Registry of Barcelona (RSHPOB), while the seventh is reserved for the inclusion housing programme aimed at third sector entities. The call is scheduled for this July, and keys could be handed over next autumn.
The apartments now up for competition range in size from 46 to 72 square meters. Of these, five have three bedrooms and one has two. The council has established specific reservations to ensure social mixing: two apartments will be allocated to households already residing in the Nova Esquerra de l'Eixample, Sant Antoni, and Antiga Esquerra de l'Eixample; another two will be reserved for individuals under 35; and the remaining two will be raffled in the general pool.
Affordable prices without grievances
The rental prices have been set with a 15% discount on the average price cap of the reference price system. Thus, rents will range between 600 and 900 euros per month. The City Council emphasizes that this range ensures affordability while also preventing grievances with other residents of the building, whose contracts were transferred after the purchase of the property. The Deputy Mayor for Economy, Jordi Valls, highlighted that “the raffle of the Orsola apartments represents a further step in a process that began with the purchase of the property and has helped to increase the stock of affordable housing in the city and the Eixample district.”
The Casa Orsola operation: a collaborative model
Casa Orsola, located between Consell de Cent, 122, and Calàbria, 137, consists of two buildings that total 25 homes, four commercial premises, a warehouse, and two spaces for other uses. The purchase was made through an innovative public-private collaboration model: the City Council acquired 46% of the property, while the Hàbitat3 Foundation took the remaining 54%. The total price amounted to 9.2 million euros, of which 4.86 million corresponded to the council. The price per square meter was 3,335.75 euros, which is 30% below the average in the Nova Esquerra de l'Eixample, which stands at 4,774.75 euros.
Of the eleven apartments owned by the City Council, four already had existing rental contracts at the time of purchase and were transferred. The remaining seven are those now being awarded. Hàbitat3, for its part, owns 14 homes, seven with indefinite contracts and seven with fixed-term rentals, as well as a warehouse and a space for other uses. The operation helped to halt eviction processes that were open against tenants and expand the public housing stock in a pressured area like the Eixample.
More public housing in the Eixample
The district plenary has also reported the start of the awarding process for another municipal property on Aragón Street, 317. This is a building acquired through pre-emption and retraction that has been completely renovated and will offer eleven apartments, managed by the Municipal Housing Institute (IMHAB). This development is part of the City Council's strategy to increase the supply of affordable housing in the city.
The council frames these actions within the Pla Viure, its new roadmap for housing for the mandate. The plan is structured around three pillars: universalizing the right to housing by expanding the affordable and social housing stock; promoting rehabilitation with sustainability, accessibility, and comfort; and addressing vulnerability and demographic challenges. With this initiative, Barcelona aims to send a clear message to the private sector that it is committed to residential investment to uphold residents' right to live in the city.
Those interested in applying for one of the six apartments being raffled must be registered in the RSHPOB and meet the requirements of the established reservations. The call will be published in the coming weeks in the Official Bulletin of the Province of Barcelona and on the IMHAB website. For those seeking affordable rent in the city centre, this is an opportunity that does not come around every day.
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