The coastal city of Barcelona attracts more than 10 million tourists from all over the world every year, making it the most visited city in Spain and one of the most popular destinations in Europe every summer. However, if you’re looking for an Airbnb or other short-term apartment while you’re in town, you won’t be able to do that for much longer.
The city has just announced that it will ban the rental of apartments to tourists from November 2028. This comes as locals face skyrocketing property prices as more than 10,000 apartments in the city are licensed for short-term rentals.
“We are facing what we believe is Barcelona’s biggest problem,” Mayor Jaume Collboni said of the move. CNN“These 10,000 apartments will be used by the city’s residents or will come onto the market for rental or sale.”
Collboni cited statistics on the local housing market that prompted the decision. Rents have risen by 68 percent in the past decade and the cost of buying a home has increased by 38 percent. He noted that these problems particularly affect young people, as they can exacerbate inequality and make upward economic mobility even more difficult.
Barcelona first banned the rental of private rooms in 2021. Until now, short-term rentals required a permit from the city, and since 2016 the government has closed 9,700 illegal tourist apartments in the city. Nearly 3,500 have been converted into housing for local residents in that time.
By abolishing rental apartments, Barcelona is the second major Spanish region to make this change, after the Canary Islands. It is the latest European city to announce it will ban short-term rentals after hotspots such as Florence, Berlin and Lisbon announced similar plans.
If you plan to arrange a short-term rental in a city where this is not allowed, you may be better off opting for a hotel room.
