Young renter's rent subsidy (Bono Alquiler Joven)

Key rules

• Amount: The aid is 250 euros a month for a maximum of 24 months, paid to you for rent only.
• Age: You must be aged 18 to 35 inclusive when you submit.
• Rent cap: Rent must not exceed 600 euros a month for a home or 300 euros a month for a room, unless your region raises the cap.
• Regions: Your region runs the call, so confirm it is open before you plan around the money.

Is the subsidy available now?

Check this first with your region's housing department. The subsidy has been run by each region, and calls have often opened late in the year. Whether it continues in the same form under the new national housing plan is not settled. Ask your region whether a call is open and when it closes. The Basque Country and Navarre have their own systems, so ask their housing departments instead.

Who qualifies

• Age: you must be aged 18 to 35 inclusive on the day you submit. Your region's call may set the exact reference date.
• Rent: rent must not exceed 600 euros a month for a home or 300 euros a month for a room in a shared flat. Some regions raise the cap, so ask about your area.
• Lease: you need a formal written lease on your main home, or on your room.
• Income: household income must be below three times the IPREM, which is 25,200 euros a year. It is based on the income tax return of the people in your household. Your region's call sets the tax year and who counts as household.
• Residence: if you are not an EU citizen, you need a valid residence authorisation, temporary or long-term. EU citizens need a registration certificate. You must be registered at the rented address in the padrón. Asylum seekers' eligibility varies by call, so check the call.

How much you get

You get 250 euros a month for a maximum of 24 months. It is paid to you and covers rent only. Some regions add top-ups or change the term, so read your region's call.

How to apply

Applications go to your region's housing department. Most are online through the regional electronic office, using a digital certificate, Cl@ve or similar. Fill in the form, attach your documents and submit before the window closes. Decisions are made in order of arrival or by scoring, depending on the region. Channels and deadlines differ by region, so follow your region's call.

Pay your rent by bank transfer, direct debit or bank deposit, and keep the statements. The documents list, checklist and timeline below cover the rest.

Timeline and deadlines

• Find out whether your region has a call open and when its application window closes: before you start; regional calls have often opened late in the year

• Submit the online form with all your documents through your region's electronic office: within the open application window

• Wait for the decision, which is made in order of arrival or by scoring depending on the region: after you submit

• Correct your application if the office says it is incomplete: within 10 working days from the day after notification, or it is treated as withdrawn

• Receive 250 euros a month, paid to you and covering rent only: for a maximum of 24 months

Documents you need

• ID card or NIE (foreigner's identity number), issued by the police or the authority that gave you the document.

• Your written rental contract for your main home, or for your room in a shared flat.

• Empadronamiento (padrón certificate), issued by your town hall, showing you are registered at the rented address.

• Income documents for the household, based on the income tax return (IRPF) of the people in it.

• Bank details for the account where the aid will be paid to you.

• If you are a non-EU national, your valid residence authorisation (temporary or long-term).

• If you are an EU citizen, your registration certificate.

Checklist

• Ask your region's housing department whether a call for the youth rent subsidy is open now

• Ask whether your region has raised the rent cap for your area

• Check that you have a formal written lease on your main home

Whether the subsidy is open this year and your region's rent limit are set regionally, so confirm both with your region's housing department.

Frequently asked questions

Does the income limit count only my income?

No, it counts the income of the household, which must be below 3 times the IPREM, about 25,200 euros a year. It is based on the income tax return (IRPF) of the people in the household, usually for the most recent period.

My rent is higher than the limit. Can I still qualify?

Possibly, if your region has raised the cap. Some regions raise the rent cap in high-pressure areas, where rents are higher. Ask your region's housing department which limit applies to your area.

Can I apply if I am not an EU citizen?

Yes, generally, if you have a valid residence authorisation (temporary or long-term) and are registered at your address.

Who decides my application, and how?

Your region's housing department (consejería or agencia de vivienda). Some regions decide in order of arrival and others by scoring, so check which one your region uses.