According to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, an adequate home must provide adequate space to live safely, with dignity and in peace. But how much space is sufficient to be considered adequate space? How does this translate to square feet?
Due to the growing demand for housing and the increase in rental prices, in recent years we have seen new housing proposals based on creating smaller and smaller spaces. Sometimes referred to as micro-apartments or micro-flats, these are tiny homes under 200 square feet, or shared living spaces with small private quarters. The main attraction of these options is their low cost, which sometimes makes them the only option available, as more people are unable to afford the rising rent costs in big cities.
Minimum square footage for a home in Spain
The “micro-apartment” or “micro-flat” concept is quite recent and it doesn’t have a static definition. It Spain, it is normally used to describe any home with a space under the minimum required in each Comunidad Autónoma (Spain’s administrative regions).
In Spain, the criteria determining whether a space can be habitable or not are set by Comunidad Autónoma (or sometimes municipal) regulations. This makes the regulating criteria completely different from region to region: in Valencia, for example, there is only a limit separating houses from apartments; in Castilla la Mancha, the limiting factor is the amount of kitchen space. In most regions, however, there is a minimum space required for any home.
The habitability criteria depend on each “Comunidad Autónoma”.
The average minimum square meters required for a home in Spain is around 30 (323 square feet). The maximum requirements can be found in Murcia, where a space must have a minimum of 40 square meters (430 sq. ft); next is Madrid, with 38 (410 sq. ft), and Aragon, with 37 (398 sq. ft). The lowest figure is in Ceuta, where the minimum 20 square meters (215 sq. ft), followed by Andalusia, with 24 (258 sq. ft).
Regulated habitability
For a dwelling to be habitable, a document must be provided certifying the required minimum criteria are met. In the vast majority of Comunidades Autónomas, the certificate of occupancy or the first occupation license are the documents typically used. Both documents establish compliance not only with space criteria, but also health and hygiene conditions, safety, etc. Both the certificate of occupancy and the first occupancy license certify the same: that the space meets the minimum requirements to be used as housing within the law.
Hives: sharing a living space with 20 people
As habitability requirements are particularly strict in most of Spain, some other innovative living solutions have emerged, going beyond the concept of micro-apartment, especially in large cities like Madrid or Barcelona. They are known as “hive” flats or apartments, where up to 20 people live in small private capsules of less than 3 square meters, all in one apartment or housing unit.
The shared spaces, like the kitchen, the living room, or the bathroom function the same way they would in a typical shared home. The private spaces, however, are not typical rooms. They are tiny capsules with only an individual bed, a folding table, and a trunk for storing personal items.
“Hive” apartments have been controversial in the cities where they have appeared, where politicians and neighborhood associations criticize that these options are loopholes in a law that should guarantee adequate housing for all.
Example of a capsule in a Haibu “hive” flat, in Barcelona.
Can innovation bring adequate living solutions?
Most professionals in the sector agree that neither micro-apartments / micro-flats nor “hives” can be considered adequate housing. Although they can seem like an alternative at a time when renters are being priced out of their neighborhoods, many Architects Associations have declared that these options should be limited to short stays, and should not be considered permanent living spaces.
They defend that neither of the two formats could be considered decent housing, as they are not spaces designed for a family unit of any size to live its life normally and permanently.
Industry experts agree a home must have a minimum of 45 square meters.
Industry experts agree that these innovative alternatives have not yet found a solution that complies with regulations on habitability while protecting people and guaranteeing their right to decent housing. Several organizations in the architecture and construction sectors defend accelerating construction permits in the residential sector and allowing new developments in key areas of big cities as the only solution to the increase in rental prices.
