In Mexico, many vulnerable low-income groups are unable to access an adequate decent affordable home. Meanwhile, the country has millions of homes that sit empty and abandoned following the state-backed residential building boom of thefrom 2000s andto 2010s. In Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, in Jalisco State, the municipal government has found a way to tackle theseboth urgent crises simultaneously. Its Renta tu Casa (Rent Your Home) programme brings empty homes back into use by leasing them to vulnerable people, such as homeless people, victims of domestic or gender-based violence, the elderly, people with disabilities, and migrants.
The municipal authority pays rent up to $3,000 MXN ($150 USD) per month to the homeowner, while the beneficiary must make a monthly contribution of $350 MXN ($17 USD), plus five hours of community work. The programme also renovates abandoned homes in poor condition, paying 50% of the costs and deducting the other 50% from rental instalments to the homeowner.
In the first three years of the programme, 265 people have been securely housed in 85 homes and 14 properties have been renovated. By the end of 2022, a further 65 of the territory’s 77,700 empty dwellings will be integrated into the scheme, which offerings a sustainable and replicable solution to the empty homes crisis for Mexico and across Latin America.
