Castilla-La Mancha counts 303,226 empty properties, 23% of its homes, compared to the national average of 14%. More than half are concentrated in municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants.
According to information published by El Español, Castilla-La Mancha records 303,226 empty properties out of a stock of 1,347,273 urban properties. This represents 23% of the community's homes, compared to 14% nationally.
The data comes from the Housing and Wellbeing Report 2025 prepared by CCOO based on figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the Cadastre, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda. The INE considers a property empty if it has no electricity supply contract or its annual consumption is equivalent to less than 15 days of regular use.
By province, Ciudad Real tops the list with 91,113 vacant properties, which is 29% of its stock. It is followed by Toledo with 88,866, then Guadalajara with 42,469, Cuenca with 41,008, and Albacete with 39,770.
The five provincial capitals account for 21,113 deserted properties. However, 58.2% of the regional empty stock, that is, 176,443 homes, is located in municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants.
The study also notes a decline in the construction of Protected Housing (VPO). Between 1991 and 2010, an average of 3,000 units were built per year, while since 2011 the average has not reached 700.
The researcher from Fotocasa Research María Matos points out that most of these houses need structural reforms that their owners cannot or do not want to undertake. According to the analysis, disagreements among heirs are the second most common reason for not putting them on the market, along with the fear of non-payment.
“They could stimulate both buying and renting”
Matos argues that putting these homes on the market would expand the supply and relieve pressure on demand, and calls on administrations for “strategies to revive the economy in the areas where they are located.”
To capture these properties, the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha is promoting the program “Mobilise your rural home”, which aims for owners to hand over their houses to municipalities for use in municipal affordable or social rental pools. More than 170 municipalities in depopulated areas have already joined.
The Junta will validate these pools over the coming months and, before 31 December 2026, will report on this first phase. Meanwhile, social and union platforms are calling for the declaration of stressed areas, more public rental stock, and effective penalties for large holders.
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