The first city to officially do what everyone thinks… From 2028, it will be forbidden to rent Airbnb apartments to tourists in Barcelona, Spain in an effort to curb the rapid rise in the cost of housing.
In recent years, Barcelona has become financially unsustainable for many of its residents, leading the municipality to make drastic decisions. The decision concerns popular rental from his house from Airbnb, whereby the owner of a residence has the ability to set its price and make it available for temporary accommodation to tourists visiting an area. From 2028, in the “co-capital” of Spain, this possibility is “removed”.
The city’s mayor, Jaume Colboni, said yesterday that the municipal authority would not renew the licenses granted so far to 10,101 short-term rental apartments, licenses expiring in November 2028.
“We are facing what we think is the biggest problem in Barcelona,” Colboni stressed during a town hall event.
A sharp rise in short-term rentals in Barcelona, the Spanish city most visited by foreign tourists, has sent rental prices soaring, a rise in rental prices specifically 68% over the last 10 years and in the cost of purchasing real estate 38%, Colboni said. Many city dwellers cannot afford housing.
THE Access to housing has become a factor of inequality, particularly for young people, added the mayor.
National governments enjoy the economic benefits of tourism – Spain ranks among the top three most visited countries in the world – but these benefits make housing unaffordable for residents of some popular tourist destinations.
The modernization of urban areas and the preference of landowners for lucrative tourist rentals has become one of the most debated issues in Europe.
Local Over the past decade, authorities have announced restrictions on short-term rentals in places like the Canary Islands, Lisbon and Berlin in Spain.
Accommodation
Spanish Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez said she supported the Barcelona municipality’s decision.
“The measure aims to make all necessary efforts to guarantee access to affordable housing,” Rodríguez emphasized to X.
“Colboni is making a mistake that will lead to (an increase in) poverty and unemployment,” she said in a statement. the Association of Tourist Apartments of Barcelona, APARTUR, adding that the ban will lead to an increase in illegal tourist apartments.
THE hotels should benefit from this measure. TThe opening of new hotels in the city’s most popular areas has been banned since 2015, but Colboni has hinted he may ease that restriction.
“These 10,000 apartments will be used by city residents or they will go to the market for rental or sale,” said the mayor, referring to the measure.
Barcelona’s local government said in a statement that it will maintain the “rigorous” inspection regime to identify potential illegal tourist apartments once the ban comes into force.
Barcelona had suspended the issuance of new licenses for the rental of apartments under its management former mayor Ada Kolau (2015-2023), supporter of the right to housing, in order to control the tourist expansion of the city. But this has not prevented the effects of hypertourism continue to be felt in housing, particularly after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.
To protest this situation, many local clubs have called for a demonstration in the city on July 6 with a central slogan: “Enough! Let’s put limits on tourism!”
This event follows other similar events already organized in recent months in other major tourist destinations in Spain, such as the Canary Islands and Palma de Mallorca.