Álava approves 300,000 euros to rehabilitate housing in rural centers

The Foral Government Council of the Provincial Council of Álava approved on September 29 the extraordinary call for grants, under a competitive bidding process, aimed at financing housing rehabilitation in local entities for natural persons residing in them. The agreement, 616/2026, is published in the Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava (BOTHA) no. 113, dated October 2, 2026, with the official reference 2026-02802, and the application period begins on October 14.

The measure is based on Article 41.3 of Law 3/2015, of June 18, on Housing of Euskadi, which assigns the provincial councils the promotion of the rehabilitation of the built heritage, and on Law 7/2022, of June 30, on Rural Development, which pursues a housing policy adapted to the rural environment and the maintenance of its population. The applicable regulatory bases are those of Foral Decree 50/2021, of October 26, issued by the Foral Government Council itself.

The foral Executive justifies the extraordinary call on the grounds that the first four calls of this line completely exhausted their allocations and due to the high number of applications received in the 2026 ordinary call, which is still in the processing phase. To meet this demand, the type of eligible rehabilitations and the amount of aid are limited, with the stated objective of promoting a greater number of rehabilitated homes.

Allocation and amounts

• Total amount of the call: 300,000.00 euros, with 90,000.00 euros for the 2026 financial year and 210,000.00 euros for 2027.
• Budget line: “10202.G/920102/78000100 Housing Rehabilitation Grants. Extraordinary Call 2026-2027”.
• General maximum grant: 20,000.00 euros; with energy efficiency, 23,000.00 euros.
• Annex II centers: 10% increase, up to 22,000.00 euros (25,000.00 with energy efficiency).
• Annex III centers: 15% increase, up to 23,000.00 euros (26,000.00 with energy efficiency).
• Subsidized percentage: 25% of technical fees (capped at 10% of the work), 25% of the municipal license and taxes, and 25% of the execution budget.
• Maximum rehabilitation amount: 40,000.00 euros, excluding VAT.

Who can apply

• Natural persons residing in local entities of the Historical Territory of Álava with population centers of fewer than 1,500 inhabitants, located in municipalities of fewer than 20,000 inhabitants.
• Owners, tenants, usufructuaries, or holders of any other right of use or enjoyment of the housing to be rehabilitated.
• Persons registered (empadronadas) and residing in the dwelling as of the date of justification of the fulfillment of the aid’s purpose; non-compliance will initiate a procedure for the reimbursement of the advance.
• Persons sanctioned in accordance with Title IV of Law 38/2003, of November 17, General Subsidies Law, and those falling under the cases of the equality legislation for women and men, are excluded.
• Properties that have already received aid in previous calls of this line are not eligible for subsidies.

Deadlines, execution, and processing

• The application period begins on October 14, 2026, and remains open until the allocation of funds is exhausted or, failing that, until October 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM.
• Actions initiated as of April 1, 2025, may be requested; exceptionally, those whose request was denied in the 2025-2026 call due to the exhaustion of funds (Agreement 836/2025, of December 30) may do so for works initiated since October 1, 2024.
• The work must be fully executed before June 30, 2027, with a possible extension of up to four months, and the justification account must be submitted before July 31, 2027.
• Payment is divided into 30% upon granting the subsidy and the remaining 70% once the invoices are provided, and not before January 1, 2027.
• Aid is assigned in order of application submission, with a maximum resolution period of six months; the instructing body is the Local Administration and Demographic Challenge Service.
• Applications are submitted via the electronic office (https://egoitza.araba.eus), at the General Registry of the Provincial Council of Álava, or at the Treasury offices of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Laguardia, and Llodio.

Centers at risk of depopulation

Annexes II and III of the agreement identify the centers that receive increased percentages, including Lagrán, Valdegovía/Gaubea, Kuartango, Ayala/Aiara, Arraia-Maeztu, Urkabustaiz, Zuia, Bernedo, or Artziniega. The determination of these centers comes from a demographic study on the depopulation process in Álava prepared by the University of the Basque Country commissioned by the Provincial Council of Álava.

The agreement, signed by the general deputy Ramiro González Vicente, the provincial deputy for Territorial Balance and Land Use Planning, Laura Pérez Borinaga, and the director of Territorial Balance, Javier Gorbeña García, is final in administrative proceedings: a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the Contentious-Administrative Court of Vitoria-Gasteiz within two months or, optionally, a motion for reconsideration before the Provincial Government Council within one month.

The call comes in a context of pressure on housing in the rural areas of Álava and population loss in the smallest municipalities. With a maximum of 26,000 euros per dwelling and processing on a first-come, first-served basis, the line seeks to establish residents, recover the built heritage of the villages, and improve the accessibility and energy efficiency of the houses, although its total allocation limits the number of households that can benefit.

Source: Official Gazette of the Historical Territory of Álava (BOTHA), no. 113, of October 2, 2026, section I, page 1 (official reference: 2026-02802).