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

The Ayuntamiento de Barcelona has approved an urban planning modification that will allow the regulation of seasonal rentals. The measure aims to give priority to the regular use of housing over temporary contracts, which have gained ground in the market in recent years.

The change was validated at the March municipal plenary session with the support of PSC, BComú y ERC. The modification of the Pla General Metropolità paves the way for specific regulation to limit this type of rental across the city, following weeks of political negotiation.

The Urban Planning department, led by Laia Bonet, is already working on a special plan to minimise seasonal rentals as much as possible. The goal is to curb practices that make it harder to access stable housing and to complement the existing Catalan regulations.

Not all groups support this approach. Junts, PP y Vox voted against, questioning the effectiveness of the measure 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, which is key to designing effective regulation in the coming months.

Beyond the political debate, the decision reflects a shift in how the city wants to approach urban living. In a context where temporary rentals have grown alongside tourism and international demand, measures like this seek to rebalance the market and restore prominence to permanent residence—something that could shape the coming months for those trying to stay and live, rather than just pass through, Barcelona.