Barcelona Apartment Owners Fight Back Against Tourist Rental Ban
With looming threats of closure by 2029, Barcelona's tourist apartment owners are preparing for a legal battle. On September 16th, Apartur, an association representing nearly 7,000 of the 10,000 legal tourist rentals in Barcelona, announced it would sue the Catalan government, also known as the Generalitat. This aggressive move comes in response to a decree aimed at phasing out tourist apartments, which owners say represents an attack on property rights and a significant loss of income.
Marian Muro, the managing director of Apartur, expressed her discontent, stating, 'It's a form of expropriation,' and noted that their initial claims have already surpassed 1 billion euros. The situation escalated after Barcelona's socialist mayor, Jaume Collboni, announced on June 21 that all tourist apartments in the city would be eliminated by November 2028. This radical decision follows a Generalitat decree approved in November that restricts tourist licenses to a maximum validity of five years.
Historically, these licenses were permanent, allowing property owners to rent accommodations indefinitely. Under the new law, municipalities now have the power to renew or deny these licenses after the five-year period, complicating the future for many apartment owners. Moreover, the People's Party (PP), a right-wing political faction, has lodged a complaint with the Constitutional Court concerning the decree, which is still pending a decision from the Spanish Supreme Court.
In defending his controversial decision, Mayor Collboni highlighted the spiraling housing crisis in Barcelona. Over the past decade, rents have surged by an average of 68% even after the city prohibited new tourist rentals in 2014. Collboni argues that removing these units from the rental market is a strategic move, using the equivalent of ten years of average private housing construction to address the urgent need for resident accommodations.
Local sentiment appears to favor the mayor's decision, as many residents support the regulation of tourist rentals. Alvaro Molina, a 32-year-old computer programmer, stated that regulating Airbnb-like platforms would foster a more respectful tourist experience and help address housing accessibility issues. He lamented the difficulty of breaking into the housing market, predicting he would need to live with his parents for years before being able to afford his own apartment.
The debate over tourist apartments in Barcelona illustrates the broader tension between tourism and local housing needs, a conflict faced by many cities worldwide. As the legal confrontation unfolds, the outcome will likely have profound implications for both property owners and residents, enriching the conversation around sustainable tourism and urban living.
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