Eibar stands out as one of the Gipuzkoan municipalities with a significant presence of large housing landlords. According to available data, the industrial city holds the third position in the territory, with 357 homes under the ownership of these types of proprietors, only behind Donostia and Irun.
This figure highlights the influence of both large private owners and legal entities in the local real estate market. Specifically, in Eibar, six large private landlords have been identified, accumulating 35 properties, while 28 registered legal entities concentrate 322 homes. These statistics place Eibar among the areas in Gipuzkoa with the highest concentration of flats in the hands of large landlords, a phenomenon that has gained prominence in the debate on housing access in recent years.
The majority of these properties belong to commercial companies, funds, businesses, or other legal structures, far exceeding the number of properties accumulated by individuals. In fact, over 90% of the 357 recorded homes are under the ownership of legal entities, indicating that this trend in Eibar is primarily linked to corporate structures rather than individual wealth.
The data confirms that Eibar is not immune to a reality observed in other urban centers across the territory: the increasing concentration of housing in a few hands. In this context, Eibar appears as one of Gipuzkoa's most prominent enclaves, with a particularly significant dimension when considering its population size compared to other municipalities.
The release of these figures refocuses attention on a highly relevant social and institutional issue. Housing availability, market segment tension, and the role of large landlords continue to shape much of the public debate, including in municipalities like Eibar, where the impact of this phenomenon is particularly visible. In contrast, the issue of empty flats also arises. While official and public sources do not provide a recent, definitive figure for total unoccupied municipal properties, a significant detail is available: Eibar has also incorporated the most empty homes into the Bizigune program in Gipuzkoa, with 265 flats, compared to 86 in 2017. Most of these belong to private individuals, and when combined with the 133 homes owned by the Basque Government in the city, the public or social housing supply rises to 398 properties.
Housing has become one of Eibar's major challenges. The City Council is already working on a diagnostic and action plan to support the request to declare District 1 a stressed residential market area, following a 20.3% increase in rental prices in that area over five years, exceeding the legal threshold. The municipal objective is that, even if only this district currently meets the technical conditions, the measures of the future plan will extend across the entire city. However, this declaration has not yet materialized. The national list from the Ministry of Housing already includes several Basque municipalities such as Bilbao, Astigarraga, Hernani, Lezo, Tolosa, Usurbil, Vitoria-Gasteiz, and Zumaia, but Eibar is not yet among the officially published areas. Once activated, this declaration allows for measures such as rental price caps, extraordinary contract extensions, and reinforced restrictions for large landlords, in addition to mandating a three-year shock plan to increase affordable supply. Pressure on the local market is also reflected in demand. According to the latest data released by the City Council and the Basque Government, Eibar has 1,358 cohabitation units demanding protected housing, of which 1,212 are seeking rentals. These figures explain why public housing has become a municipal priority and why the council insists on combining new construction with the mobilization of existing stock. In this landscape of new developments, Egazelai is currently the most visible project. The Basque Government will launch 36 social housing units for rent there, with completion expected in the second quarter of 2026. The development includes 28 two-bedroom homes (two adapted for people with reduced mobility) and 8 three-bedroom homes, and was even presented as a pioneering experience for its use of industrialized facades to improve energy efficiency and construction control. Another project aimed at alleviating pressure is the former Bittor Sarasketa courthouse, where a development of 19 communal housing units is planned. Added to this front is the AIBE industrial building, which the City Council plans to transfer for transformation into new communal housing units, as part of the Txonta regeneration strategy. In the old Lapeyra workshop, at Barrena 34, 20 homes are planned.
