The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, has vowed not to renew any of the “tourist licences” the city grants to the landlords of short term holiday lets. Over 10,100 properties are advertised on websites including AirBnB and Homeaway. Mr Collboni said the move to phase out holiday lets would be equivalent to building the same number of new homes.
The licences will all expire by November 2028, and the properties will then be available for locals to let or buy.
There have been public protests against mass tourism across Spain and the Canary Islands in recent months, not only because of housing problems but also the effect of tourism on the environment.
Undeniably, the tourist industry brings economic benefit to Spain; however, it comes at a huge cost for its people. With a limited housing supply, Barcelona has seen rents rise over 70% and property prices rise by 38% in the last ten years, making them unaffordable for many locals. Young people in particular have been affected.
High numbers of tourists are not the only problem. Barcelona’s growing tech industry has made it popular with workers, including those from overseas.
Those opposing the move have accused Mr Collboni of undermining property rights, while some supporting the ban say that 2028 would be too late, as people were already being forced to move elsewhere because of the number of properties used as a holiday let.
The Association of Tourist Apartments of Barcelona voiced concern that landlords would simply let out the flats illegally and said it would lead to increased poverty and unemployment. It is estimated that around 3,500 illegally let tourist apartments have already been “reclaimed” for local residents since 2016.
Barcelona and its housing problems follows in the footsteps of several other European cities.
In Paris, in September 2020, the European Court in the Cali Apartments legal case ruled that France was acting lawfully in ordering the two owners of apartments to return their AirBnB to residential. The properties had been let on a short-term basis to several clients via the internet platform. The Court noted that:
“The legislation in question is intended to establish a mechanism for combating the long-term rental housing shortage, the objective of which is to deal with the worsening conditions for access to housing and the exacerbation of tensions on the property markets, which constitutes an overriding reason relating to the public interest.
“National legislation making the repeated short-term letting of accommodation to a transient clientele which does not take up residence there subject to authorisation is consistent with EU law and that combating the long-term rental housing shortage constitutes an overriding reason relating to the public interest justifying such legislation.”