Young people ask for €91M of the Government's €100M to buy their first home

BarcelonaDuring the first year that loans for under-35s to buy their first home have been in operation, the Catalan Government has distributed 91.4 million euros out of the 100 million euros annually it had planned to allocate to the measure, according to information obtained by ARA. The Catalan Finance Institute (ICF), which manages the program, has stressed that they have "responded to all eligible applications".

So far, the Generalitat has paid out half of this, 50.5 million, corresponding to the purchase of 1,387 homes. The remainder will be disbursed when the operation is formalized before a notary (in the case of 274 homes), or when the loan recipients secure a mortgage from entities affiliated with the program (853 properties). They have a "maximum of six months", recalls the ICF.

The so-called emancipation loans finance up to 20% of the property's value — the down payment that banks normally do not cover — up to a maximum of 50,000 euros. Since the beginning of June, the Generalitat has extended the age limit to access the measure up to 40 years.

On average, each home purchased with these loans has cost 190,092 euros, but, according to the Generalitat, the average selling price in Catalonia in 2025 was 240,460 euros, 26% more. The ICF has not commented on this difference.

Beneficiaries do not have to repay the government advance until the mortgage with the bank has been fully paid off, and they will be able to do so without interest. In return, the property will permanently be considered as officially protected housing (HPO): they will be able to sell it, but at most for the same price they bought it for, with the Government's permission and to someone registered on the list of HPO applicants. They will also be able to leave it as an inheritance.

2,052 beneficiaries

On the day of the announcement of the age extension for beneficiaries, the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, explained that young people "find themselves with a barrier, a wall, which is entry" when it comes to acquiring housing. Although he agreed that this measure alone would not be enough to reverse the crisis that exists —and which particularly affects young people—, Illa argued that "every little bit helps" and that emancipation loans contribute "decisively" to alleviating the situation.

Of the sales that have already been finalized with these loans (1,387), 2,052 people have benefited, more than the number of properties acquired, because "a good part" have made the purchase as a couple. The average age of beneficiaries is 29.7 years. Once the age of candidates is extended from 35 to 40 years, the Government estimates that more than 600,000 people can opt for it.

Despite expanding the number of potential beneficiaries, in June the Generalitat opted to maintain the annual budget of 100 million euros —planned until 2029— and increase it "if necessary". Since then, financing can also include the purchase of parking spaces and storage rooms linked to housing and facilitates some requirements if it is for acquiring new construction.

Barcelona, at the forefront

The loans paid to date have been distributed throughout the territory with a structure similar to the population in each vegueria "in general terms", says the ICF. Barcelona concentrates more than half of the signed loans (56.3%), followed by Comarques Gironines (10.3%), Penedès (10.0%), Camp de Tarragona (7.7%), Catalunya Central (6.6%), Ponent (5.0%), Terres de l'Ebre (3.5%) and Alt Pirineu i Aran (0.7%).

According to data from the Generalitat, in 2025 the average purchase price in the metropolitan area was higher than the average for Catalonia and, therefore, also the average amount for apartments purchased with ICF loans: 284,910 euros. The surface area of the homes was 89.85 square meters. The average price of homes was lower than that of properties acquired with emancipation loans in Terres de l'Ebre (93,220 euros), Ponent (113,190 euros), Comarques Centrals (141,910 euros) and Camp de Tarragona (164,690 euros). On the other hand, it was higher in Penedès (212,390 euros), Comarques Gironines (232,830 euros) and Alt Pirineu i Aran (289,550 euros), as well as in the metropolitan area.