Barcelona to get rid of all tourist rental flats 'by 2028'
The mayor of Barcelona announced on Friday that the city will bring an end to 10,000 tourist flats by 2028 simply by not renewing licences.
Looking to move? Find your next rental apartment here.
Barcelona city council has pledged to 'eliminate' the more than 10,000 tourist flats in the Catalan capital.
Jaume Collboni, the city's Socialist mayor, made the announcement during a press conference on Friday afternoon.
The plan is to rid the city of all the tourist flats by November 2028 by not renewing any of the 10,101 licences in the city.
READ ALSO: 'It kills the city': Barcelona's youth protest against mass tourism
They will instead be used for residential properties, applying a decree law approved by the Generalitat which regulates tourist housing.
"We've decided to go all out to convert them into residential housing," Collboni said.
Collboni argued that the measure is a response to the growing difficulty of accessing affordable housing in Barcelona, where supply is scarce and rental prices have surpassed €1,100 per month on average.
According to figures cited during the press conference, the price of housing has increased by 68 percent in Barcelona in the last 10 years, while sales by just 38 percent. "The least that can be done is to think about how to provide more public and private housing. That means 'more supply, more supply, more supply'," Collboni said.
"The city has 10,000 tourist flats and we want to convert them into residential," he added. "By November 2028, we want these 10,000 tourist flats to become residential. From 2029, the tourist flat as we know it today will disappear in Barcelona."
Discontent among locals about the proliferation of short-term tourist rental flats has grown in the Catalan city in recent years. But it is not only in Barcelona. The sentiment has spread across the country in recent years, particularly in the post-pandemic period.
Protests have already been held in the Canary and Balearic Islands as well as Madrid and Barcelona, and demonstrations are planned in Málaga at the end of June.
READ ALSO: 'It's become unliveable': Spain's Málaga plans protests against mass tourism
A combination of dwindling rental market supply and rising prices, worsened by the rise in post-pandemic remote working, has meant that in many Spanish cities digital nomads and tourists dominate the city centres and price locals out of their own neighbourhoods.
Comments (1)
See Also
Barcelona city council has pledged to 'eliminate' the more than 10,000 tourist flats in the Catalan capital.
Jaume Collboni, the city's Socialist mayor, made the announcement during a press conference on Friday afternoon.
The plan is to rid the city of all the tourist flats by November 2028 by not renewing any of the 10,101 licences in the city.
READ ALSO: 'It kills the city': Barcelona's youth protest against mass tourism
They will instead be used for residential properties, applying a decree law approved by the Generalitat which regulates tourist housing.
"We've decided to go all out to convert them into residential housing," Collboni said.
Collboni argued that the measure is a response to the growing difficulty of accessing affordable housing in Barcelona, where supply is scarce and rental prices have surpassed €1,100 per month on average.
According to figures cited during the press conference, the price of housing has increased by 68 percent in Barcelona in the last 10 years, while sales by just 38 percent. "The least that can be done is to think about how to provide more public and private housing. That means 'more supply, more supply, more supply'," Collboni said.
"The city has 10,000 tourist flats and we want to convert them into residential," he added. "By November 2028, we want these 10,000 tourist flats to become residential. From 2029, the tourist flat as we know it today will disappear in Barcelona."
Discontent among locals about the proliferation of short-term tourist rental flats has grown in the Catalan city in recent years. But it is not only in Barcelona. The sentiment has spread across the country in recent years, particularly in the post-pandemic period.
Protests have already been held in the Canary and Balearic Islands as well as Madrid and Barcelona, and demonstrations are planned in Málaga at the end of June.
READ ALSO: 'It's become unliveable': Spain's Málaga plans protests against mass tourism
A combination of dwindling rental market supply and rising prices, worsened by the rise in post-pandemic remote working, has meant that in many Spanish cities digital nomads and tourists dominate the city centres and price locals out of their own neighbourhoods.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.