# Miguel Ángel Revilla Critiques Spain's Housing Crisis and Youth Prospects Former Cantabrian president argues that systemic housing failures are fueling widespread youth frustration. - **Source:** [ABC España – Portada](https://www.abc.es) - **Published:** 2026-11-06 - **Topic:** [politics](https://brifing.si/c/politics) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/27ece9be-9651-4859-a334-2237c232a84c ## Declining Ownership Rates The 2025 Fotocasa Research report highlights a sharp decline in youth homeownership across Spain. Ownership among those aged 25 to 34 dropped from 38% in 2023 to 32% today. Even among the youngest demographic, aged 18 to 24, only 22% currently possess a home, either through exclusive ownership or shared title arrangements. ## Generational Economic Contrast Miguel Ángel Revilla contrasts today's reality with 1970, when he earned 14,000 pesetas annually, enough to purchase an 80-square-meter apartment in Santander. Modern graduates earning 1,600 euros monthly face a vastly different landscape. High rental costs, often exceeding 800 euros for shared spaces, leave little room for savings or essential living expenses. ## Systemic Youth Frustration Revilla argues that the inability to secure housing, a fundamental human need, has left Spanish youth feeling hopeless and angry. He emphasizes that even with advanced degrees and academic honors, young professionals cannot build independent lives. This lack of a future horizon is, in his view, the most significant problem facing Spain. ## Proposed Structural Interventions To address the crisis, Revilla proposes direct intervention in three critical areas: construction costs, land availability, and taxation. He argues that land, which accounts for 35% to 40% of property prices, should be provided for free by municipal or state authorities to significantly lower the final cost of new residential developments. ## Affordable Housing Model By leveraging public land and reducing fiscal burdens, Revilla suggests that new homes could be sold for approximately 105,000 euros. His model assumes construction costs of 1,200 euros per square meter for an 80-square-meter unit. He advocates for government intervention on VAT and municipal taxes to make these price points a reality. ## Preventing Market Speculation To ensure these homes serve their intended purpose, Revilla proposes strict regulatory conditions. Properties built under this scheme would be subject to rigorous auctions and prohibited from resale for at least 30 years. This measure aims to prevent the units from becoming vehicles for real estate speculation rather than housing solutions. ## Public Financing Solutions Revilla supports recent government initiatives providing 50,000 euros in interest-free loans over 30 years to assist young buyers. He suggests that by combining these financial tools with salary deductions for down payments, young people could feasibly manage the costs of homeownership over three decades, effectively solving the primary barrier to entry. ## Political Coordination Challenges The primary obstacle to these solutions, according to Revilla, is the lack of cooperation between municipal, regional, and national administrations. He asserts that if political parties could reach a consensus, the housing crisis could be resolved within four years. Currently, partisan friction prevents the necessary alignment required to implement these structural changes. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.abc.es/play/television/noticias/miguel-angel-revilla-convencido-sobre-problema-vivienda-20261106130820-nt.html — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._