Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has proposed that Spaniards aged between 18-35 should be offered a monthly bonus to help them leave their parents’ homes and pay rent.
The 250-euro (about Shs1m) benefit would be given for two years, and it is part of the broader housing package.
The government on top of that plans on introducing rental caps for big property owners in order to make it more affordable for youth to rent a property.
Spain is reported to have some of the highest rent rates in Europe.
In big cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, rent has been on the rise while incomes have fallen by over 7% in just one year due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
“Housing is a very grave problem in our country,” Sanchez said.
In Spain, youth normally leave their family homes at the age of 30, nearly four years later than the EU average, according to Eurostat figures.
Under the prime minister’s plans, the youth bonus will be passed on by Spain’s autonomous regional authorities to those under 35s who earn less than 23,725 euros a year. They would decide if it is to be handed out per person or per rented home.
The intention is to enable more young people to move out of their parents’ homes.