CEU San Pablo held its summer course this week, with Testa Homes CEO Juan Pablo Vera taking part.

CEU San Pablo University held its summer course this week, entitled ‘Housing and young people: how over-regulation made it scarce and expensive — and how to change that’. The forum brought together leading representatives from academia, public institutions, the legal profession, business and civil society to examine one of the main challenges facing Spain’s residential market. As an operator offering homes for sale and long-term rent, Testa Homes could not miss this important event, and we played an active role in one of its discussion sessions.

Over the course of three days, leading experts discussed the causes of housing shortages and legal uncertainty, the impact of regulation on residential development and the rental market, the role of public authorities, and the measures that could help increase housing supply and make housing more affordable for young people. Among them was our CEO, Juan Pablo Vera, who contributed his expert perspective to the panel discussion ‘The effects of rental regulation’. He examined the major challenges facing the market: supply-demand imbalance, the impact of the Housing Law three years after it came into force and the need to establish a regulatory framework that builds confidence, attracts investment and enables supply to grow in response to ever-increasing demand.

Housing: a challenge that will shape the future of an entire generation

The event took as its starting point a crucial challenge: acquiring a home has become one of the main factors shaping the life plans of an entire generation. For thousands of young people, leaving home and living independently, accepting a job opportunity in another city, starting a family or simply building a stable future are becoming increasingly difficult goals to achieve. In many cases, this situation forces them to postpone personal and professional decisions and can affect the sense of stability with which they approach the future.

The figures help illustrate the scale of this reality. According to the Spanish National Statistics Institute’s Living Conditions Survey, almost one in two young people aged between 26 and 34 ( 44.3%) were still living with their parents in 2025. The main reason was not personal choice: 47.3% said they could not afford to buy or rent a home, while a further 13% remained in the family home to save before taking that step. In addition, almost seven in ten people who looked for a home that year but did not ultimately move cited price as the main obstacle. These figures raise an important question: are we normalising a situation that should not be considered normal — one in which moving out before turning 30 is becoming, for many young people, the exception rather than the rule?

Against this backdrop, events such as this one take on particular importance. Faced with a challenge as complex as access to housing, it is essential to create forums where the knowledge, experience and different perspectives of those involved in the residential market can be shared. Only through a collective, evidence-based analysis can we identify the factors restricting access to housing, assess the impact of the measures introduced and help find solutions that respond to society’s real needs.

Juan Pablo Vera shares Testa Homes’ view of the future of the rental market

Within this context, the panel discussion ‘The effects of rental regulation’ addressed one of the most important debates concerning the future of housing in Spain: how to strike a balance between ensuring access to rented housing and creating a framework that encourages more homes to be brought onto the market. Moderated by Daniela Saltos, a journalist at El Mundo, the session brought together our CEO, Juan Pablo Vera; Javier Rodríguez Heredia, Managing Partner at Azora; and Helena Beunza, Chair of ASVAL. They examined the impact of regulation on housing supply, legal certainty and rental management, as well as the role played by professional residential operators in an increasingly uncertain market.

“At Testa Homes, we see three major challenges. The first is the lack of available supply, which continues to place pressure on the rental market. The second stems from changes in society and household structures: we are no longer dealing solely with a period of high prices, but with a deeper shift in the structure of demand. The third concerns the tenant profile. Today’s tenants are not simply looking for a home; they also expect security, speed of service, clarity, efficiency and an increasingly professional level of support,” Juan Pablo Vera said during the discussion.

Regarding the first of these challenges, the Testa Homes CEO noted that the Housing Law had placed price containment at the centre of the debate. However, he argued that this objective must be accompanied by measures that support a gradual increase in the supply available. In his view, three years after the law came into force, the market continues to face significant pressures, particularly because of the difficulty of meeting demand that remains high.

In response to this situation, he argued that Spain needs to “make better use of its existing housing stock, rather than relying solely on new-build development,” and stressed that the refurbishment and modernisation of the country’s housing stock must become a priority. He also highlighted the value of professional management, explaining that it helps reduce friction, maintain and modernise assets, introduce energy-efficiency criteria, digitalise processes and preserve the long-term value of homes.

Against this backdrop, Testa Homes will continue to contribute to the debate about the future of housing, drawing on our experience as a residential operator offering homes for sale and long-term rent. We remain committed to promoting professional and efficient management focused on people’s real needs. Progress towards a more balanced rental market requires legal certainty, public-private collaboration and measures capable of increasing the available supply without losing sight of the main objective: making housing more accessible.