The debate over how hard young people have to work to get on the property ladder

On 9 October, lawyer and property owner Carmen Sánchez appeared on Antena 3’s Espejo Público programme to discuss the difficulties young people face in getting a home. Drawing on her own experience, she argued in favour of a culture of hard work among young people.

Sánchez explained that by the age of 33 she already owned three of the seven flats she currently has. To achieve this, she had taken out mortgages and relied on a guarantee from her family. She also cited her son as an example: he combines his studies with work and manages to save towards buying a home. At the same time, Carmen acknowledged rising house prices and the difficulties faced by young people from working-class backgrounds.

The debate is there. Opposing her position were the ever-enthusiastic trade unionist Afra Blanco, a regular on political discussion programmes, and a young man camping in Puerta del Sol who introduced himself as an actor. The latter argued that the culture of hard work was a very tired argument and that most fortunes in this country had been inherited.

To examine this issue, it is also worth looking at the figures. The Bank of Spain says that 65.9% of Spaniards aged between 18 and 24 were still living in the family home in 2022. It also identifies rental demand as growing faster than supply. The OECD, meanwhile, warns that demand-side subsidies can push up prices if supply is slow to respond. That is why subsidies should be accompanied by measures to increase the number of homes available.

One example is the Plan Casa Fácil, launched by Elche Town Council and its mayor, Pablo Ruz. It envisages the construction of 240 affordable homes, 48 of which will be allocated for rent to young people. The project is joined by the announcement of Casa Fácil 2, which plans 1,161 homes through the change of use of six municipal plots. In my view, these are the kind of policies young people need. Their implementation will be the test of their effectiveness.

For my part, I would propose that public authorities speed up procedures, strengthen legal certainty and provide young people with guarantees and tax benefits. In short: build where there is demand and give landlords and tenants stability.

Above all, I believe in individual responsibility and in public authorities that remove obstacles. However, championing hard work also means recognising that not everyone starts from the same circumstances or has a family member who can act as a guarantor. Making it easier to build, protecting contracts and encouraging saving can go hand in hand with helping those who need it most. Hard work should make it possible to build a home and a future.