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Spain's government is taking action to try and help young people find housing, by approving a "youth bonus" voucher system worth €250 ($290) per month to help with rent costs. Spain has among Europe's highest rates of property ownership but that also means that fewer than one in four homes are available for rent. In some areas, such as the big cities of Madrid and Barcelona, rents have been on the rise while incomes have fallen by over 7% in just one year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Spanish people leave their family home at the age of 30, nearly four years later than the EU average, according to Eurostat figures.

Eduardo Alonso Arechaga, from the Youth Council of Spain, says that the new grants will not solve the problem, and will merely lead to landlords raising the rents for those in receipt of it. He suggests that a system of rent control would be a better way to solve the problem, as the grant will only help a very small proportion of renters.

Photo: Two women on a sofa Credit: Getty Images