Barcelona Mayor Jaume Corboni today announced a bold and controversial measure to phase out all short-term apartment rentals to tourists by 2028.
Barcelona’s grid pattern really comes to life when seen from above.
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Rising cost of living in Barcelona
Barcelona’s boom in short-term apartment rentals has caused a significant rise in the cost of living in the Catalan capital. With rents rising by nearly 70 percent and the cost of buying a home rising by nearly 40 percent over the past decade, many residents are unable to rent an apartment, making access to housing a factor in inequality, especially for young people, Corboni said. This has led city authorities to take drastic measures to guarantee access to housing in the city, the Barcelona mayor continued.
“It is unacceptable that the majority of young people who want to leave their homes have to leave Barcelona,” Mayor Corboni said at a city council meeting on June 21, according to major Spanish newspaper El Pais.
Overtourism has become a major concern in Barcelona in recent years.
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Spain is the second most visited country in the world
Spain is one of the most visited countries in the world. According to a report published by Statista in June 2024, Spain is second only to France, receiving more than 85 million international tourists in 2023, surpassing the pre-pandemic record of 83 million in 2019. Meanwhile, Catalonia, home to the capital Barcelona, was the region in Spain that received the most international tourists in 2023.
In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to obtain permits for short-term apartment rentals in Barcelona. Since 2012, a tourist permit has been required to legally rent out an apartment defined in Barcelona as a “Vivienda de Uso Turístico” (tourist residence) for periods of less than 31 days. Last year, the rules were tightened, limiting permits to 10 tourist apartments per 100 residents. In addition, the city abolished permanent permits for tourist apartments, requiring them to be renewed every five years. Local governments have also stepped up efforts to hunt down and close down illegal tourist rentals.
Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter is particularly busy during peak summer months.
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Fighting illegal tourist apartments
These measures have led to the closure of 9,700 illegal rental properties catering to tourists since 2016 and the re-purposing of around 3,500 apartments for local residents.
Today’s move is the most radical to date, with major Barcelona-based daily La Vanguardia predicting it will lead to a “blood-filled legal battle.” If Mayor Corboni has his way, the city council will have to demolish 10,101 licensed tourist apartments in the city by November 2028. The mayor’s move, which has come as a surprise to the tourism industry, is expected to be opposed by various stakeholders, including Barcelona’s tourist apartment employers’ association, and is likely to lead to a lengthy legal battle.
Meanwhile, vacation rental platform Airbnb, which handles many short-term rentals in Barcelona, is yet to make an official statement.
