Sanchez said the government would use 4 billion euros
($4.38 billion) it is due to receive from EU rescue funds to
lend to developers and owners to build and transform houses into
social housing, rent them at an affordable price or transfer
their use for at least 50 years.
"We are going to turn access to housing into a right and
not a problem," he told the lower house of parliament, adding
that the houses must be energy efficient.
Rising rents are set to become a key campaign issue as Spain gears up for regional polls on May 28 and for a parliamentary election later in the year.
Just 16% of young people in Spain live independently,
compared to an average of 32% in Europe, according to the
Observatory of Emancipation.
($1 = 0.9126 euros)
(Reporting by Inti Landauro and Emma Pinedo, editing by Charlie
Devereux and Gareth Jones)
