Not even through inheritance: 61% of Spaniards see inheriting a home as almost impossible
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61% of Spaniards doubt they will inherit a home, as housing becomes harder to access. Inheritances grow in importance, yet only one in five sellers obtained their property this way.
In the first half of 2026, inheriting a home remains a remote prospect for most Spaniards, according to a study carried out by Fotocasa Research. Against a backdrop of mounting difficulties in accessing housing, 61% of the population consider it unlikely or very unlikely that they will ever inherit a property, compared with 39% who do believe they will eventually receive one.
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That perception sits against the backdrop of an increasingly strained housing market, in which owning a home has become difficult for large swathes of the population. In this context, inheritance is seen as an alternative, albeit uncertain, route to having a property in the future.
Among those who do expect to inherit a home, most have not yet built it into their life plans. Some 41% see it as a distant possibility that does not shape their current decisions, while 34% regard it as long-term asset security. Only 26% say they are counting on that future home for specific plans, such as living in it, selling it or renting it out.
Fotocasa’s head of research and spokesperson, María Matos, says inheritances have become a “genuine lifeline” for accessing housing. In her view, the rise in family gifts – which topped 225,000 transactions in 2025 – shows how the affordability gap is widening and how buying a home depends increasingly on intergenerational financial support.
The study also shows that inherited homes have maintained a stable presence in the Spanish property market. In the first half of 2026, 16% of owners putting a home up for sale or for rent said they had received it through inheritance, a figure that has remained virtually unchanged in recent years.
However, they are clearly more prevalent in sales than in rentals. Specifically, 21% of those selling a home had acquired it through inheritance, compared with 12% of landlords letting an inherited property.
The reasons for selling or renting also differ. Among those who sell, personal needs stand out, along with fear of non-payment and problems with tenants, as well as the favourable price environment. By contrast, those who opt to rent mainly seek to secure a steady income and avoid leaving the property empty.
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