Skip to content

Stage 4 of 5: Lists, draw and proof

A protected housing draw, step by step, with its deadlines

8 min read · intermediate level · reviewed on 21 September 2026

How does a protected housing draw work in Spain, and what are the deadlines?

A protected housing (VPO) draw always follows the same sequence: a notice with the rules, the application period, a provisional list of admitted applicants, objections, the final list, a public draw before a notary, the list of selected people and the waiting list, and a short deadline to prove you meet the requirements. In Catalunya objections get 10 working days, and proof another 10.

What you need to do, in 5 steps

  1. Join the register before the notice

    In most regions only people already on the applicant register (registro de demandantes) when the period opens can take part.

  2. Apply within the deadline

    With the documents the rules ask for; the day you apply does not change the draw order.

  3. Check the provisional list and object if you are missing

    Ten working days in Catalunya from the day after publication, with documents that prove the mistake.

  4. Write down your number after the draw

    All applications are put in order; the waiting list is used to fill withdrawals.

  5. Prove the requirements as soon as you are asked

    Ten working days in Catalunya; with no reply you are taken to have withdrawn and they move on to the next person.

The full calendar, phase by phase

The names change from one region (comunidad autónoma) to another; the sequence does not. The example deadlines are the ones the Registre de Sol·licitants de Catalunya (the Catalan applicant register) publishes for its allocation procedure, and the real dates come from September 2026 calls for applications (convocatorias) that we have checked against their official source.

Before the draw

  1. Step 1: Notice

    The opening decision is published on the official website (sede electrónica) with the rules (bases): homes, requirements, quotas and method

    Deadline or example: Casa47 announced its call on 31 July 2026; Catalunya publishes each procedure on its seu electrònica

    Your task: Read the whole rules document and note the dates

  2. Step 2: Application

    This is where homes are lost. Why

    You submit the application, almost always online; in most regions only if you are already on the register

    Deadline or example: Casa47: 31 July to 21 September 2026. Navarra: 1 to 10 September 2026. Elciego: 11 August to 11 September 2026

    Your task: Apply within the deadline; the day you apply does not change the order

  3. Step 3: Provisional list of admitted applicants

    The list of people who meet the requirements, with each quota in a separate list

    Deadline or example: Catalunya: published on the seu electrònica

    Your task: Look for your name and your quota

  4. Step 4: Objections

    This is where homes are lost. Why

    Anyone missing or listed wrongly files a claim with documents

    Deadline or example: Catalunya: 10 working days from the day after publication; the administration decides within 20 working days

    Your task: Object with evidence if something is missing

  5. Step 5: Final list

    The final list of participants is approved

    Deadline or example: Catalunya: within the next 3 working days the day, time and place of the draw are set

    Your task: Nothing to do, unless you appeal because it is still wrong

The draw

  1. Step 6: Draw

    Public and before a notary. One number is drawn at random, and all applications are put in order starting from it

    Deadline or example: Navarra: 22 September 2026, public and streamed. Casa47: draw before a notary after the 21 September 2026 close

    Your task: Write down your position number even if you are not picked

After the draw

  1. Step 7: Selected people and waiting list

    A provisional list of selected people, in order; everyone else forms the waiting list

    Deadline or example: Catalunya: published on the seu electrònica

    Your task: Keep a note of your position: the waiting list is used

  2. Step 8: Proof of requirements

    This is where homes are lost. Why

    The selected people prove with documents what they declared

    Deadline or example: Catalunya: request sent within 15 days at most; 10 working days to provide the papers; with no reply you are taken to have withdrawn

    Your task: Have your papers ready before the draw

  3. Step 9: Allocation and signing

    Homes are allocated in order to those who prove eligibility; viewing, contract and keys

    Deadline or example: Casa47: provisional allocation, viewing and contract

    Your task: Have your financing sorted if you are buying

Deadlines in working days where the rules say so; sources read on 15 September 2026.

What a working day is, and why it decides draws

When a rule just says "10 days", it means working days (días hábiles): Ley 39/2015 (the common administrative procedure law) leaves Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays out of the count, and the period starts on the day after publication or notification. Ten working days are two calendar weeks; a long weekend makes it longer, and so does a local holiday.

If a call wants calendar days, it has to say so. Application periods are usually given as a closing date, not as a number of days: "until 21 September" includes that day. If in doubt, apply the day before.

The three moments when people lose a home

  1. Applying after the deadline. No appeal can fix it. The periods open now are sorted by closing date.
  2. Not objecting to the provisional list. If you are missing from the list and let the 10 days pass, the final list is approved without you, and appealing it is slower and less certain. How to do it is in the list of admitted applicants and claims.
  3. Not proving your eligibility in time. This is the phase that sinks the most allocations: they ask you for the documents and you have days, not weeks. In Catalunya, not replying within 10 working days counts as withdrawing, and they move on to the next person on the list.

The draw order and the waiting list

A modern draw does not pull out tickets one by one. Casa47 describes it like this in its official note: one application number is drawn at random and all the others are put in order starting from it. Each household gets the first available home among the ones it chose. This means all applications end up in order, not only the winning ones.

Illustrative example: 8 applications, 3 homes, and number 6 is drawn

  1. Place 1 · application no. 6 (the number drawn)Home

  2. Place 2 · application no. 7Home

  3. Place 3 · application no. 8Home

  4. The homes end here

    Place 4 · application no. 1Waiting list

  5. Place 5 · application no. 2Waiting list

  6. Place 6 · application no. 3Waiting list

  7. Place 7 · application no. 4Waiting list

  8. Place 8 · application no. 5Waiting list

If application no. 7 renounces or fails to prove eligibility in time, its home goes to no. 1, the first on the waiting list, and everyone below moves up a place. The numbers are made up; the mechanism is the one Casa47 describes in its official note.

That order is the waiting list. In Catalunya the rules create it expressly to fill homes that become free because someone withdraws or fails to prove their eligibility. In large developments dozens of positions are called in the following months. That is why your number matters even if you were not picked.

See the draws open now

Each call with its closing date, its allocation method, the official source and the day we checked it.

See the draws open now

Frequently asked questions

Does applying on the first day give me an advantage?

In a draw, no: the order is set by the number drawn at random, and Casa47 says so expressly. It does matter in developments that allocate by order of registration, such as the Plan Vive batches in Madrid. The rules say which of the two systems applies.

How long does the whole process take?

Between the close of applications and the draw there are usually weeks, not days: the provisional list has to be published, objections received and decided. Navarra closed on 10 September 2026 and held the draw on the 22nd. Between allocation and getting the keys, in a new build, it can be more than a year.

Can I watch the draw?

Public draws are held at an open event with a notary; Navarra streams its draw live. The notary's record (acta notarial) is a public document and is usually published with the results.

What happens if I am picked and I withdraw?

It depends on the rules. Some calls exclude anyone who withdraws without good reason from new allocations for a time. In Catalunya, not proving the requirements in time is treated directly as withdrawing, and the home goes to the waiting list.

What happens if I turn down the home I am offered?

It depends on the register: turning it down without a justified reason usually removes you from that call and, if it happens again, can exclude you from the register for years. Many rules treat turning it down before and after viewing the home differently, and accept justified reasons. Before you turn it down, ask in writing what effect it has on your registration.

Can I choose the flat?

In most draws you do not choose the home, you get an order: the number you get decides when you are called, and you choose among what is still available at that moment within your quota. That is why your draw number matters as much as being admitted.

When do I get the keys?

The draw is not the handover. Next come the list of successful applicants, the check of requirements, the signing and, if the development is still being built, the wait until handover, which is counted in months or years. The rules give the expected handover date when there is one; if they do not, there is no date.

Send by WhatsApp

Get told when something opens

Leave your email and we'll tell you about new calls in your area, deadlines about to close, and when your register entry needs renewing. No password, and one-click unsubscribe.

Only used for the alerts. No advertising, never shared.

Official sources

General guidance, not legal advice. The rules that apply are your region's and those on the home's own qualification.

Keep reading