'Quite sad': Renters turn to lottery in Spain's housing crisis

The application from Sergio Encinas (left) and Lorena Pacheco was among only 64 that succeeded in getting a social-housing unit in Madrid. (Image: Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP)

Agence France-Presse

Sat, 15 Mar 2025

By Wafaa EssalhiLorena Pacheco has hit the jackpot – she won the right in a municipal lottery to rent a two-bedroom apartment and parking spot in one of Madrid's few social housing estates.Like a growing number of Spaniards, the 30-year-old auxiliary nurse and her partner, Sergio Encinas, have found themselves priced out of the real estate market as rents have soared due to insufficient supply.For the past two years, the couple searched in vain for a place where they could afford to move in together. In the meantime they have been for...

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