The collapse of the social safety net forces landlords into a race against time.

BarcelonaThe decision of Congress repeal the omnibus decree this Tuesday The measure, which included a series of social steps to help vulnerable families, such as extending the moratorium that suspended evictions for vulnerable groups, has a side effect for landlords who had previously seen these proceedings suspended. The lower house's rejection of the so-called social shield, which was opposed by the PP, Vox, and Junts parties, means that landlords can now immediately request the lifting of the eviction suspension and claim the financial compensation they are entitled to for lost income. However, the process will not be automatic, as lifting the suspension will take two months for all landlords and up to four months for large property owners. Although an extraordinary provision is planned to allow landlords to request this compensation, the deadline to do so is Monday, February 2nd. Therefore, the Association of Rental Property Owners (Asval) has recommended that landlords submit their applications before that date, even if they do not have a complete file, as this does not invalidate the applications. These applications must demonstrate that the eviction suspension was due to the Royal Decree. The compensation amount can be determined based on rental price reference indices or other benchmarks. If the rent was lower, the compensation will be equivalent to the lost rent, and housing expenses incurred by the landlord during that time will also be taken into account. In any case, compensation cannot be requested until three months have passed since the suspension order, as this is the period social services have to offer the vulnerable family alternative housing. "It is important to verify that there is a court order suspending the eviction, in which the judge justifies their decision based on the tenant's proven economic vulnerability. If the suspension is for other reasons (for example, procedural ones), or is issued by decree, the compensation may be denied," Asval reports.