The new policy of state grants announced by the Spanish government late last year to help youngsters to pay their monthly rent came into force this week. The new accommodation grants have caused so much expectation that both government websites with information on the rent aid collapsed yesterday and neither sites were available this morning.

The grants are called «Renta básica de emancipación» (Basic income for Emancipation) and, as their name suggests, they are aimed at helping young people move away from their parents’ home. They are available for people living in rented accommodation, aged between 22 and 29 years old with a yearly income of under 22,000 euros. Anyone applying must be able to present a copy of the contract signed between themselves (as tenants) and the owner of the property and specifying the duration of the tenancy and the cost of the rent.

Yesterday both the Housing Ministry website and the Accommodation Grants for Young Poeple (Ayudas para Vivienda Joven) websites crashed in the morning as they were inundated with visits.

The Government promised to restore the sites as soon as possible, and at the time of writing, one of the two sites, Ayudas para Vivienda Joven has just become available. Anyone interested in finding out more about these grants or downloading an application form can consult the information here: http://www.ayudasviviendajoven.es/M_NOTICIAS/NoticiasDetalle.aspx?idf=03NOT601&id=18410