Housing Syndicate Demands New Body to Set Andorra Property Prices

The Housing Syndicate has called for the creation of a new mediating body empowered to set reference prices for both property purchases and rentals in Andorra, aiming to extend regulation beyond the rental market and prevent speculation from shifting to sales.

Cristian Blázquez, a member of the syndicate, outlined the proposal during an interview on Diari TV's *Parlem-ne* programme. The body would determine the "real value" of housing affordable to working-class families, who face the greatest barriers to access. Blázquez blamed investment funds and rentier classes for accumulating properties, alongside government inaction in regulating the market decisively.

The syndicate argues that current conditions create a conflict between property owners' interests and those needing homes. It advocates structural regulation based on purchasing power and properties' social function, rather than rentals alone. Without this, Blázquez warned, speculation could simply move to the buying market.

Additional measures proposed include expanding the public housing stock, enshrining housing rights alongside education and health, and capping property profitability. These steps, the group says, would foster a cultural shift viewing housing as essential for workers' welfare and security, rather than a speculative asset. The issue now affects all social classes.

Blázquez offered a mixed assessment of the rent freeze extension, crediting it with averting abusive hikes but noting it has spurred evasion tactics by limiting owners' returns. Lifting it without robust safeguards risks a "hostile" environment forcing many to leave the country, he cautioned.

Government plans to extend contracts by seniority and cap renewal increases at 25% for flats below or at €8 per square metre fall short, according to the syndicate. It suggests converting temporary leases to indefinite ones post-moratorium, requiring owners to justify terminations.

With around 20 members, the syndicate plans street mobilisations if de-regulation proceeds without protections. Blázquez said it would not rule out "popular pressure through mobilisation and disruption", while building grassroots sections in neighbourhoods to identify local issues.