MAY TENANCIES BE AN EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE TO OWNERSHIP AS A WAY TO ACCESS TO HOME? A LEGAL COMPARATIVE PORTUGAL-SPAIN-MALTA

Abstract

Authors and social sectors defend tenancies as an effective alternative to home ownership. However, ownership entails a range of values, among others, stability, which makes it attractive enough. Quite often, urban leases do not offer the advantages and/or enough guarantees neither for landlords nor for tenants to make them an attractive type of housing tenure. This work analyses tenancies” legal frameworks in Spain, Portugal and Malta, including the last legal modifications towards the increase of the liberalization of the contractual relationship, in order to discuss whether their urban leases, according to their legal configuration, are a true alternative to homeownership