the trend that is growing in Spain and forces banks to apply the ‘single rate’

Buy an apartment in Spain for a middle-income citizen at this time when house prices are breaking historical records It is little less than assuming a perpetual debt, even if it is measured with your partner. Doing it alone, therefore, seems to become truly crazy these days.

However, the popular proverb is stubborn and that sentence of the “better alone than in bad company” Thousands of owners apply it. Because more and more Spaniards dare to take the step of acquiring a property and facing a mortgage alone.

According to data collected by the mortgage comparator and advisor iAhorro, in 2022, 37.5% of the mortgages formalized through this intermediary had a single owner, while In 2025 the figure has risen to 45.03%, which represents an increase of 7.5 points in just three years.

Laura MartinezDirector of Communication and spokesperson for iAhorro, interprets this phenomenon as a positive sign of the social and economic change that Spain is experiencing: “More and more people feel capable of taking on a mortgage on their own.which demonstrates greater autonomy and financial security,” he says.

Not in vain, according to iAhorro, the profile of the single man or woman who applies for a mortgage in Spain is that of a person with an average age of 38.21 years and a monthly net salary of about 3,060 euroswith indefinite employment and a work seniority of 7.43 years. He also has savings of almost 87,000 euros and The price you pay for the home is just over 234,000 euros.

This type of buyers usually demand housing in urban areaspreferably centrally located, of a not very large size – between 50 and 60 m2 – but that allows you to satisfy your needs without problem. In Spain, the regulations establish that for a property to be considered habitable it must have a useful surface area. minimum of 36 to 40 m2.

‘Single rate’: “Banks perceive greater risk”

However, the solvency that these data grant to singles does not initially convince financial institutions, which do not hesitate to apply what is colloquially called the ‘single rate’which refers to the greater economic difficulties faced by people who live alone or do not have a partner to access certain goods and services compared to couples or families.

In this way, they usually ask for more requirements and offer worse conditions to those who take out a mortgage alone. Of course, they are not more expensive. “Although single people show more determination and solvency, banks continue to perceive greater risk in operations with a single owner, which is why They may require more guarantees or limit the amount of the loan“explains the Director of Communication and spokesperson for iAhorro.

“The challenge is to adapt mortgage policies to a social reality in which financial independence and living alone are increasingly common, but still not always equally accessible”

In general, Banks usually establish a mortgage payment that does not exceed 30-35% of the monthly net incomeforcing many individual buyers to opt for smaller homes or homes further away from urban centers, which goes against their initial preferences.

In this sense, Martínez emphasizes that “the challenge is in adapt mortgage policies to a social reality in which financial independence and living alone are increasingly common, but still not always equally accessible.”

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