The first city to officially do what everyone thinks … From 2028 it is forbidden to rent Airbnb apartments to tourists in Barcelona, ​​Spain with the goal of curbing the rapid rise in housing costs.
In recent years, Barcelona has become financially unsustainable for many of its residents, leading the municipality to make several decisions. The decision concerns the popular rent in his house on Airbnb, where the owner of a residence has the possibility to price it and use it for temporary accommodation for tourists who visit a place. From 2028, in the “co-capital” of Spain, this possibility is “cut”.
The mayor of the city, Jaume Colboni, said yesterday that the municipal authority will not renew the licenses granted so far to 10,101 apartments for short-term rent, licenses. ends in November 2028.
“We are facing what we believe is the biggest problem in Barcelona,” Colboni stressed at a city hall event.
The proliferation of short-term rentals in Barcelona, ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ . especially 68% in the last 10 years and the cost of buying real estate 38%, Colboni said. Many city dwellers cannot afford housing costs.
THE access to housing has become a driver of inequality, especially among young people, added the mayor.
National governments enjoy the economic benefits of tourism – Spain is in the top three most visited countries in the world – but these benefits put housing out of reach for residents in some popular destinations. the tourist.
The upgrading of urban areas and the preference of property owners for profitable tourist rentals have become one of the most discussed issues throughout Europe.
LOcAl Authorities in the last decade have announced bans on short-term rentals in places such as Spain’s Canary Islands, Lisbon and Berlin.
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The Minister of Housing of Spain, Isabel RodrÃguez, said that she supports the decision of the municipality of Barcelona.
“The step is to make all the necessary efforts to ensure access to affordable housing,” RodrÃguez emphasized to X.
“Colboni is making a mistake that will lead to (higher) poverty and unemployment,” he said in a statement. the Association of Tourist Apartments in Barcelona, APARTUR, adding that the ban caused an increase in illegal tourist apartments.
the Hotels are expected to benefit from the measure. QThe opening of new hotels in the city’s most popular areas has been banned since 2015, but Colboni suggests he may relax that ban.
“These 10,000 apartments used by city residents or they go to the market for rent or sale”, said the mayor, referring to the move.
The local government of Barcelona said in a statement that it will maintain a “robust” inspection regime to detect potential illegal tourist apartments once the ban is implemented.
Barcelona suspended the issuance of new licenses for apartment rentals under his leadership former mayor Ada Kolau (2015-2023), supporter of housing rights, to control the tourist expansion of the city. But this does not prevent the effects of hypertourism will continue to be felt in housing, especially after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.
To protest this situation, several local clubs called for a demonstration in the city on July 6 with the central slogan: “That’s enough! Let’s put limits on tourism!”.
This demonstration follows other similar events that have been organized in recent months in other major tourist destinations in Spain, such as the Canary Islands and Palma de Mallorca.