Barcelona Wants to Ban Renting Private Rooms to Tourists
The new proposal escalates the city’s aggressive efforts to protect long-term housing and curb tourism by regulating vacation rentals.
Banners reading "No tourist flats" hang from balconies to protest against holiday rental apartments for tourists in Barcelona's neighborhood of Barceloneta in 2016. Community resistance to tourist rentals in the city’s dense center has led to aggressive regulation by the city.
Photographer: PAU BARRENA/AFPLandlords in Barcelona would be permanently banned from renting out private rooms for short-term stays if the city approves a new plan.
As part of a package of measures designed to protect potential long-term housing from being cannibalized by tourist rentals, the office of Mayor Ada Colau proposed a new rule that would allow people to rent rooms in their own home only for stays of 30 days or more.