MADRID, 31 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The PSOE has registered an initiative in Congress with which it urges the autonomous communities to declare areas of stressed residential market, as established by the Housing Law, in order to apply the reference price index in rentals, which, according to the socialists, obeys "technical" and "scientific" criteria.

The index was approved on February 27 with the aim of controlling the increase in rental prices in areas where rents are "clearly stressed." The indicator allows knowing the range of rental values ​​of a home in a given area as a reference for setting prices in new lease contracts.

But this indicator will only operate in those communities that request declaration as stressed residential market areas of some of their municipalities, as has happened in Catalonia, which has declared 140 stressed municipalities.

Once the declaration is produced, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda will publish a resolution on a quarterly basis that will include the period of validity as a stressed zone and other particularities that may affect the regulation of contracts, such as the concept of large applicable housing holders.

"The index is an exceptional tool for those cities where there is high tension in the rental market and seeks to avoid speculative movements," highlights the Socialist Group in its proposal, collected by Europa Press.

In this way, the socialists defend that the indicator offers more transparency and knowledge of the rental market and serves to promote the increase in the supply of housing at affordable prices, also providing "a key element of legal security in the relationships between landlord and tenant ".

For all these reasons, the PSOE urges the competent administrations to declare the corresponding areas of stressed residential market so that citizens "can benefit" from the application of the rental reference price index.

It is not the only proposal that Congress has received regarding the Housing Law and, more specifically, regarding the aforementioned index. Sumar, the other partner of the coalition government, registered another PNL a week ago so that the State or city councils can declare a housing market area as stressed, even if the autonomous community in question does not act.

Specifically, the plurinational group wants to provide the State and the municipalities with this capacity when they request it and if within a period of six months the autonomies, which have the transferred powers in housing, have not responded.

Yolanda Díaz's party defends this proposal because in Madrid, for example, more than 90% of the municipalities are under tension and if they could declare this situation, Madrid residents would pay "up to 32% less rent."

But Sumar's proposal collides with another PP initiative that was recently approved in the Congressional Housing Commission, which urged the Government to repeal those articles of the Housing Law that violate regional powers.

The initiative was approved thanks to the overwhelming votes of PP, Vox, PNV and Junts; while PSOE, Sumar, Podemos and Bildu voted against and Esquerra (ERC), which was one of the main promoters of the norm and which, on the other hand, last summer supported the presentation of an unconstitutionality appeal in Parliament, opted for abstaining.

The proposal approved by the Lower House understands that the norm approved in the last legislature violates exclusive powers of the autonomies, such as the promotion of a certain building typology in territorial and urban planning or the permanent qualification of protected housing when they are located on land. intended for some public protection regime.