Barcelona doubles down on a policy of going after landlords that has exacerbated the city’s housing crisis.

LIke other Spanish and indeed European cities Barcelona has a housing problem caused by a lack of affordable housing to meet the needs of a growing population driven by immigration. As a result, many locals can’t afford to live in the city, which is causing resentment and growing political interference in the housing market. The political interference is making the situation worse.

In order to look like they are doing something about it, politicians have introduced rent controls and other measures to protect tenants at the expense of landlords, like extending tenancy periods and making evictions harder. In response, landlords big and small have moved out of the long-term rental market and sold up or turned to seasonal rentals to avoid the costs and restrictions of long-term rentals, which, in many cases, are no longer profitable. This has exacerbated the problem.

Now Barcelona’s city government has announced a new plan to force landlords back into the long-term rental market by restricting or banning seasonal rentals, which now make up 60pc of rental adverts, according to some estimates.

The Socialist party under Mayor Jaume Collboni has reached an agreement with the hard-left BComú party to prioritise long-term rentals in the city by amending the Metropolitan General Plan (PGM) to declare the habitual and permanent use of housing as a priority. This modification will provide the legal basis for the city council to develop a special plan to regulate mid-term rentals, similar to the Peuat plan used to control tourist rentals.

The proposal includes plans to modify Articles 276 and 302A of the Metropolitan General Plan (PGM) to prioritise permanent housing over temporary uses. A subsequent special plan will be developed to define specific regulations for mid-term rentals, which may include restrictions by district, neighbourhood, or building. The modification of the PGM is expected to be finalised by the end of next year, pending approval from the Generalitat’s Urban Planning Commission. The proposal passed its first hurdle on 10th December, when the city’s Ecology, Urban Planning, Mobility and Housing Commission approved it.

Rationale and goals

In terms of rationale and goals, First Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet (Socialist party) stated that flats suitable for permanent housing should not be rented out on a temporary basis. Janet Sanz, President of the BComú Municipal Group, described the measure as the “main weapon to be able to end the massive fraud that affects the city” and called the exclusion of mid-term rentals from 2018’s rent control measures a “historic mistake that we are now paying for.”

There are differing opinions within the council. Laia Bonet expressed a preference for allowing seasonal rental contracts if they are linked to a clear cause of temporality. Conversely, Janet Sanz advocated for a total ban of mid-term rental contracts until a new regulatory framework is established.

Opposition parties have also weighed in. Jordi Martí Galbis, President of the Junts Municipal Group, criticised the proposal and suggested creating a city-wide registry of mid-term rental apartments. Junts further proposed a new law at the parliamentary level to regulate mid-term rentals while respecting municipal autonomy. Meanwhile, ERC argued that the issue extends beyond municipal jurisdiction and stressed that any initiative must comply with decrees presented in Parliament.

The BComú proposal to ban all seasonal rentals could force students, business professionals, and individuals requiring extended stays in Barcelona—whether for medical treatment or to support family members undergoing care—to rely solely on hotels for accommodation.