Green light for an urban planning reform in Barcelona to control the rental market

Barcelona City Council has approved a planning amendment that will make it possible to regulate seasonal rentals. The measure seeks to give priority to the usual use of housing over temporary contracts, which have gained ground in the market in recent years.

The change was approved at the March municipal plenary session with the support of PSC, BComú and ERC. The amendment to the Pla General Metropolità opens the door to specific regulation to limit this type of rental throughout the city, after weeks of political negotiation.

Photo by barcelona.cat

The Urban Planning department, led by Laia Bonet, is already working on a special plan to reduce temporary rentals as much as possible. The aim is to curb practices that make access to stable housing more difficult and complement existing Catalan regulations.

Not all groups share this approach. Junts, PP and Vox voted against it, questioning the measure's effectiveness and arguing that it may exceed municipal powers. The political debate remains open in a context of intense pressure on the property market.

At the same time, the council now needs more precise data on how many seasonal contracts exist and where they are concentrated. To this end, it is requesting information from the Generalitat de Catalunya and the State, key to designing effective regulation in the coming months.

Beyond the political debate, the decision reflects a change of approach to how the city is intended to be lived in. In a context where temporary rental has grown in step with tourism and international demand, measures such as this seek to rebalance the market and restore prominence to usual residence, something that may shape the coming months for those trying to stay and live — rather than merely pass through — Barcelona.