Four regions of the Pyrenees, Aran (64.3%), Cerdanya (63.3%), Pallars Sobirà (62.2%) and Alta Ribagorça (60.1%), followed by Baix (53.9 %) and Alt Empordà (53.1%), are those with the highest percentage of non-main residences in Catalonia, according to data published yesterday by Idescat. As of January 1, 2021, of the total of 3,915,129 homes, 76.4% had citizens registered in them, while the remaining 23.6% are considered non-main homes as there is no person on the registry.
According to this classification, La Coma i la Pedra (Solsonès) is the municipality with the highest weight of secondary houses, specifically 84.9%. With more than 75% of this type of residence, Naut Aran (Aran), Sarroca de Bellera (Pallars Jussà), Fontanals de Cerdanya (Cerdanya), Senterada (Pallars Jussà), Setcases ( Ripollès), Prats and Sansor, Das, Alp and Bolvir (Cerdanya), Vilallonga de Ter (Ripollès), Colera (Alt Empordà), Urús (Cerdanya), Alt Àneu (Pallars Sobirà) and Planoles (Ripollès). All are towns with few inhabitants, less than a thousand, except Naut Aran and Alp.
Paradoxically, the lack of affordable housing is one of the burdens that many rural municipalities carry in order to stop depopulation processes.
Coastal tourist destinations observe high proportions of non-main residences. This is the case of Pals (74.2%), Llançà (73.3%), Castelló d'Empuries (71.5%), l'Escala (71.2%), Roses (68.2%) or Cadaqués (67.9%), in the Costa Brava, or l'Ampolla (68.6%), Mont-roig (66.8%), Roda de Berà (64.7%), l'Ametlla de Mar ( 63.2%) or Salou (63.15), on the coast of Tarragona.
Idescat specifies that in its statistics it does not distinguish between first and second residences, since an undetermined number of those that are not primary, those that do not have anyone registered, can be either secondary use houses or be empty. But, for the first time, Idescat points out, a classification has been made based on the intensity of use of homes based on the analysis of electricity consumption. Based on this parameter, it is considered that 10.7% of the total of Catalonia is empty as it registers consumption below the minimum municipal threshold (15 days a year), while 8.2% would have sporadic occupancy, between one and three months, and 2.7% from two weeks to one month.
Considering this concept, the municipality with the most empty homes is El Perelló (49.6%) and the one with the most houses with sporadic use is La Vall de Boí (31.7%).
