This is a website for buyers, owners, and sellers of property in Spain, offering reliable information and resources to help you get things done with confidence. It is run by Mark Stücklin, author of the Spanish Property Doctor Column in The Sunday Times (2005-2008), and the book ‘Need to Know: Buying Property in Spain’ published by Collins.
Recent data from the Bank of Spain shows that Spaniards still prefer owning their home over renting by a wide margin.
The percentage of owner-occupying families in Spain rose to a peak of 85% in the boom year of 2004, leaving just 15% of households living in rented accommodation back then.
Compared to other countries like Germany, where a majority of families rent, Spain looks fanatical about property ownership.
How has a massive housing bust changed attitudes towards home-ownership in Spain? Not much, it seems. Half a million families have lost their homes, and house prices have collapsed by between 30% and 50%, depending on who you ask, but the vast majority of Spaniards still prefer buying over renting.
The percentage of owner-occupiers has declined slightly over the crisis years, from 85% in 2004 to 77% in 2013, in part due to the number of people who lost their homes to repossession, but then rose again to 78% last year.
Spain is still a country with an unusually high level of home ownership. As one commentator put it, the property crash hasn’t managed to uproot the spanish preference of buying over renting.
