Airbnb: Barcelona wants to end seasonal rentals by 2029

That tourist rentals will disappear in Barcelona by 2029 is the hope of the mayor of the Spanish city, the socialist Jaume Collboni. Friday June 21, 2024, the person announced during a press conference that “the Catalan Parliament now authorized Barcelona not to renew the licenses for tourist apartments” according to the Tourist Echo. These will therefore expire in November 2028. In addition, Barcelona plans to regulate by decree the number of accommodations with a tourist use license in cities where real estate pressure is greatest.

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By 2029, “tourist apartments as we see them today will disappear from the city of Barcelona,” announced Jaume Collboni. According to the councilor, 10,000 housing units currently reserved for tourism would thus be put back on the rental or sale market.

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Housing shortage

In Barcelona, ​​more than 10,000 homes are currently subject to a license allowing them to be rented as tourist apartments. At the same time, residents are struggling to find housing, especially as rents have increased by 68% over the last decade.

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“The city cannot allow such a high number of apartments to be used for tourist activity in a context where the difficulty of access to housing and the negative effects of tourist overpopulation are obvious,” justified the council. municipal in a press release.

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Faced with the housing shortage, a call to demonstrate on July 6 was launched by several local associations, with a slogan: “Enough! Let’s put limits on tourism!”