Peruvian mother in Pontevedra struggles to rent without pay slips

No pay slips or guarantor: the invisible wall of renting in Pontevedra

Silvia Álvarez-Cano arrived from Lima five months ago with her two daughters, aged 13 and 8. She is looking for an apartment in Pontevedra but keeps facing rejections. "They tell me they don't rent to families with children or pets," she summarizes. This is not just a casual remark; it reflects the filter applied by real estate agencies and landlords in a city where supply is scarce and price has become the main selection criterion. The paradox is that Silvia works, as does her mother, and together they could afford the rent. What they lack is the documentation required by the market.

What real estate agencies require today to rent an apartment

At PonteHabitat, one of the city's leading agencies, they ask for an employment contract, the last three pay slips, and one month's deposit. If there is a pet, an additional month of guarantee is required. Natalia Orbán, the agency manager, explains bluntly: "Supply is very low, demand is very high, and prices are rising." With this imbalance, the landlord chooses. And the profile that generates the least paperwork wins.

The prices handled by the sector in Pontevedra: a two-bedroom apartment was signed for 795 euros. A three-bedroom with garage, between 800 and 1,000 euros. A one-bedroom, around 650. Add community fees and insurance. Silvia confirmed this: "They ask for more than 750 euros in almost all cases."

Why landlords reject families with minors

The most repeated argument is not price, but legal risk. "If they are vulnerable people with minors, in case of problems, the owner is unprotected," Orbán argues. The law protects vulnerable tenants, which in practice reduces the number of landlords willing to rent. Some put it bluntly: if you cannot evict them at the first missed payment, the owner prefers not to enter the deal. It is the perverse effect of a rule designed to protect that ends up expelling from the market those it intended to shield.

To this is added the administrative situation. The regularization process for the immigrant population can last up to three years. Meanwhile, without pay slips or a guarantor, the only door left is a shared room. Silvia and her family found two rooms for 300 euros each, and they eat in the room because the flat houses many people. "Renting a room is the only alternative left for many," acknowledge the NGO Boa Vida.

Hourly work, no pay slips: the circle that doesn't close

Silvia works hourly. Her mother lost her job. Together they tried to gather a guarantor and deposit, but the salary does not reach. "I wish I could find a full-time job," she says. That is the knot: without a stable contract there are no pay slips, without pay slips there is no rental, without rental there is no address, and without an address any regularization becomes complicated. A circle that the market does not break and the administration takes years to undo.

The final paradox is signed by herself: despite everything, she would repeat the journey. "Here I feel safe." She left Lima, she says, fleeing insecurity. And she landed in a market where the security lacking for the landlord is what she has plenty of on the street.

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The discussion generated by this case goes beyond Silvia. Should the landlord assume the social risk that the State does not cover? Or should the State guarantee access to housing without charging the cost to individuals? With current prices and supply at minimums, the answer is not in the market.