The mayor of Barcelona (Spain) announced that he would ban the rental of accommodation to foreign tourists within five years. In question, this process contributed to deregulating the real estate market in the city and causing prices to soar.
The hunt for seasonal rentals and Airbnbs is on in Barcelona. The mayor of the Iberian city has announced that he intends to put an end to the practice of renting to foreign tourists in his town by November 2028. A measure which comes as the city is suffering the backlash from a massive tourism.
“We are facing what we believe to be Barcelona’s biggest problem,” Jaume Collboni, Barcelona’s mayor, said at an official event. The city is the number one Spanish tourist destination for foreigners. A victim of its success, it has seen a strong expansion of the Airbnb system until it reached the figure of 10,000 homes intended for rental for tourists.
But then what is the problem? The rental market aimed at tourists in Barcelona has completely deregulated that of real estate. The average price of an apartment has increased by 68% over the last ten years and that of a house by 38%, explained Jaume Collboni. A real boom which is slowing down access to housing, particularly for young people. “These 10,000 apartments will be used by the city’s residents or will be put on the market to be rented or sold,” concluded the mayor.
Varied reactions
The Spanish Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodriguez, supported the mayor of Barcelona on
The announcement was not received as warmly by Barcelona’s tourist apartment association, called Apartur. “Jaume Collboni is making a mistake which will lead to more poverty and unemployment,” she warned. The hotel sector is also expected to benefit from the closure of rental apartments even though Apartur warns of an increase in illegal rentals.
