El Gobierno nombra a Leire Iglesias secretaria de Estado de Vivienda y Agenda Urbana

The Spanish government has appointed Leire Iglesias as the Secretary of State for Housing and Urban Agenda. This comes amidst ongoing negotiations over a new housing decree. Leire Iglesias, formerly the president of Casa 47, replaces David Lucas, who passed away on July 20th. Isabel Rodriguez, the head of the department she leads, notes that Iglesias has been leading the creation and implementation of the state entity Casa 47 since its transformation from SEPES.

Casa 47 functions as an official state enterprise responsible for managing the entire housing cycle, from planning and urbanization of land to the delivery of keys, and the promotion, construction, or provision of residential properties to ensure access for all. Previously, Iglesias served as the councilor for Mobility, Transport, and Housing in the Junta of Extremadura, where she oversaw the approval of the 2022-2027 Housing Plan, amendments to the Extremadura Promotion and Access to Housing Law, and the creation of a guarantee fund for housing acquisitions, as well as mechanisms for housing support and tax relief for vacant properties.

Maribel Ramos will now lead Casa 47, having previously been the director of the affordable housing park and sub-director general of Hogar S. Iglesias' appointment as Secretary of State for Housing and Urban Agenda coincides with a pivotal moment in the legislative term concerning housing, as negotiations for a new decree are underway to gain support from all parliamentary partners.

The current proposal from the Ministry of Housing includes extending rental periods until 2028, fiscal measures for homeowners who fail to raise prices for contract renewal, stricter regulation of seasonal rentals or room rentals, and an increase in VAT for tourist accommodations to 21%. However, issues such as the prohibition of evictions for vulnerable groups or the loosening of the Land Law remain contentious points of disagreement with Junts and Podemos.