Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni has said that by November 2028, short-term rentals would be losing their licence, affecting around 10,101 apartments.
Data from global travel intelligence platform Mabrian indicates that the market size is even larger by 63pc, 15,800 units and nearly 56,700 rental beds.
This means that the total capacity of short-term rentals in Barcelona represents 67.6pc of the city’s total hotel capacity, which stands at 84,000 hotel beds by the end of 2023, according to the Observatori de Turismo de Barcelona.
The move is aimed at addressing the housing crisis in the city, with the mayor claiming short-term rentals is one of the drivers of the issue. Officials are considering not renewing the tourist accommodation licences to the current holders of such, assuming these apartments will be transformed into primary homes.
Under Catalan government legislation from November 7, 2023, the use of tourist apartments is limited in municipalities with a large housing crisis.
Five years after the law comes into force, in November 2028, the city council can refuse to renew the licenses to current holders.
Short-term rental platforms such as ArBnB and VrBO have protested the decision, saying it will have little impact on the long term rental market , but hotels are expected to benefit from the new measures as Barcelona remains the second most popular tourist destination in Spain.
Housing costs in Barcelona have surged to an all-time high, with an average apartment costing €1,171 per month by the end of 2023.
