Real estate agencies are starting to receive calls from people affected by Dana looking for rental accommodation, but not en masse, since the majority are relocated with relatives or in second homes, and the offer of tourist towns is already a possible temporary alternative.
These include, for example, municipalities close to the coast such as the district of El Perelló (Sueca), Cullera or Tavernes de la Valldigna, and even Gandia.
The spokesperson for the Official College of Real Estate Agents (Coapi) of Valencia, Vicente Diezexplains to EFE that in the Horta Sud region, considered “point zero” of the damage which devastated part of Valencia on October 29, the rental offer has barely moved, between 200 and 250 accommodations availablenor the prices, which are around 800 euros.
“There is no massive call effect in the search for rental housing,” says Díez, because it is still early and needs are about to be resolved and the help that victims will receive.
The rental assistance approved by the Generalitat for those affected reaches up to 800 euros per month, for one year, but will not be applicable if the applicant or one of the members of the cohabitation owns other accommodation located less than 30 meters away. kilometers from the affected area and that its habitability was not affected by the storm.
“If this help is managed well and it arrives and people receive it, ultimately we think people who want to opt for rental will have to move because it will be difficult for them to find it in their city,” adds Díez. .
He points out the coastal area as a possible temporary alternative, such as the municipality of El Perelló, near l’Horta, or Cullera, the Taverns de la Valldigna and even Gandia, for those affected in the Ribera region, with many residences unoccupied during the winter season.
Díez indicates that there have already been cases of owners who have made closed and non-rental accommodation available free of charge to those affected; Also the owners of premises rented to businesses, affected, who impose moratoriums on the payment of rent as a sign of solidarity.
The Association of Real Estate Companies of the Valencian Community (Asicval) immediately made itself available to the Generalitat to help mobilize empty housing, declares its president, Nora García.
By private agencies “We have received requests from people living at Ground Zero. and they needed a rental house because they lost everything, or because they cannot access their house because the streets are in bad condition and they travel with strollers or people in wheelchair,” he said.
“But it’s not an avalanche. We thought there would be many more. Most are staying with relatives, friends or neighbors, although in many cases this will be temporary,” he predicts.
Real estate agencies in the area are concerned. Twelve of the fifteen member companies of Asicval are “totally devastated”, García details, with around 40 workers affected.
The association has opened an account to collect donations and created a support group to help his colleagues cope with the situation “economically and psychologically”. “We need them to move forward for themselves and their teams, because there are many families who depend on this work,” he confides.
More than 5,000 files
Regarding the impact of damage on homes, in a first estimate, the Disaster Damage Assessment Unit, coordinated by the Valencian Housing Institute, has currently 5,014 files opened in 30 municipalities.
Of these, 1,138 cases have been completed and 491 houses have been evicted due to structural problems while 1,656 have been declared uninhabitable, that is, they do not have structural problems but the damage make them uninhabitable; In addition, the need to demolish 127 homes was established, the Department of Social Services, Equality and Housing said.
Regarding social housing, repair and reconstruction work has started in twelve residential buildings belonging to the Valencian Housing and Land Entity (EVha) affected by the flood. Last week, repairs to the damage that affected seven city blocks, with 569 homes, were completed.which did not need to be moved and are already inhabited and in perfect condition, report the same sources.
From the public park, one of the most affected buildings was the one located in La Torre, València district, with 185 social housing units that will be enabled in phases. The Generalitat also has 30 housing units for immediate delivery in the province and 75 that require air conditioning.
The same sources indicate that They do not respond to immediate demand by families who are not likely to benefit from social housing, because they “draw on other resources” such as the residences of family or friends.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Agenda, Isabel Rodríguez, announced this Thursday the provision of 150 housing unitsvia Sareb, to the persons concerned, free of charge.
