Two million in rental assistance for victims in the Sierra Oeste

The Regional Ministry of Housing, Transport and Infrastructure of the Community of Madrid has approved an extraordinary line of urgent housing rental aid endowed with 2,000,000 euros to alleviate the effects of the forest fires that devastated the Sierra Oeste in July 2026. The measure, detailed in the Order of August 18, 2026, is published in the Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid (BOCM) number 205, dated August 28, 2026, and covers up to 100% of the rent with a cap of 1,500 euros per month for a maximum of 12 monthly payments.

The order modifies the Strategic Subsidy Plan 2026-2028, approved by the Order of February 20, 2026, to incorporate two new subsidy lines under a direct grant regime. The severity of the emergency led the Government to declare a national interest emergency through Order INT/748/2026, of July 23, given the extraordinary impact on the population and the territory.

An immediate housing response

The new rental aid line is aimed at natural persons whose habitual and permanent residence has been damaged or rendered uninhabitable by the fires and who have formalized a lease agreement for a temporary housing solution. The objective is to avoid situations of sudden residential vulnerability and facilitate the permanence of those affected in their social and territorial environment.

• Guarantee immediate access to adequate housing.
• Avoid residential exclusion resulting from the loss or temporary unusable state of the home.
• Promote the recovery of normality and rootedness in the affected municipalities.
• Contribute to the social reparation of the damages caused by the emergency.

The aid is financed through the budget program 261C “Housing Aid and Access”, sub-concept 48310, expenditure project 2026/000919 “Community of Madrid fire emergencies”. The procedure is processed by the Directorate General for Housing Aid and Access and resolved by the head of the Ministry, Jorge Rodrigo Domínguez.

Rural carsharing for affected areas

The same order incorporates a second line of subsidies for the promotion of new mobility actions in rural areas, aimed at implementing rural carsharing services through fleets of vehicles available by prior reservation. The measure seeks to improve accessibility to essential services and fight depopulation in low-density peripheral regions.

• Estimated allocation of 300,000 euros for 2027 and another 300,000 euros for 2028.
• Financing through program 453M “Transport Control and Management”, sub-concept 48312.
• Beneficiaries: associations of municipalities and public entities with mobility competencies.
• Implementation in rural areas with mobility deficits and geographical dispersion.

Control and evaluation of funds

The monitoring of both lines will be the responsibility of the General Directorate of Housing Aid and Access and the General Directorate of Transport and Mobility, respectively. The General Comptroller of the Community of Madrid, the Court of Auditors, and other competent bodies may carry out verification and control actions to ensure the correct application of public funds.

The evaluation of the rental aid will be carried out through a specific report with indicators such as the number of applications submitted, granted, and denied, the average amount of aid, and the number of beneficiaries. The execution period extends throughout the 2026 fiscal year and the period necessary for the complete management and justification of the aid.

The measure represents an exceptional and humanitarian response to a civil protection emergency, and makes housing the axis of social reconstruction in the Sierra Oeste. For the thousands of families who lost their homes, coverage of up to 1,500 euros per month for one year offers a horizon of stability while normality is restored in the affected municipalities.

Source: Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid, no. 205, August 28, 2026, section I.C (Other Provisions), pp. 59-65 (official reference: Order of August 18, 2026, of the Ministry of Housing, Transport and Infrastructure).