Andorra la Vella Overhauls Jovial Social Housing with Points System Favoring Young Low-Income Residents

Andorra la Vella council has introduced a points-based allocation system for Jovial social housing in Terra Vella, prioritizing young residents with low incomes, long parish ties, and no prior independence. The changes, presented on Thursday and due for approval at next week's council session, replace the 2019 rules that favored waiting list seniority with scoring across four equal-weight criteria: income, age, emancipation status, and years of residency.

Applicants must prove at least five years in the parish, earning maximum points for 15-20 years or more, incomes between one and two times the Llindar Econòmic de Cohesió Social (LECS)—roughly €1,525 to €3,050 monthly—and ages 18-22, though those up to 29 qualify. Top scores target individuals still living with family and seeking their first home. Housing Councilor Marc Torrent described the ideal candidate as an 18-year-old on minimum wage residing lifelong with parents in the parish. Social Affairs Councilor Maria Nazzaro stressed returning Jovial to its 2009 origins on land donated by Maria Maestre as "the first home for the parish's youth" and an emancipation driver.

New tenants face rent at 30% of household income, reviewed annually to account for changes like cohabitation during five-year leases. Torrent noted this directs public resources "to those who need them most," not just long-waiters. Nazzaro added that fragmented prior rules across Jovial, Reviu, and Calones programs hindered equitable management; the overhaul unifies them under one registry and access framework.

The council now handles 72 of 80 flats, having transferred eight to the government for vulnerable cases and dissolved the inefficient Jovial SLU by late 2024. This capped two years of reforms triggered by a 2024 audit revealing €15,000 in unpaid rent from non-vulnerable exploiters and a sublet unit recovered in March. A new non-payment protocol starts with housing staff review after one month (offering splits or aid), social services after two, and eviction after three unexcused months.

Rent freezes have idled about 50 flats with expired leases, slowing turnover to five new tenants lately. Officials await deintervention laws, anticipating many current residents—now often over age limits—will fail new criteria upon thaw, enabling reallocation from the list. Existing tenants keep old terms; changes apply only to waitlisters.