Barcelona raises aid to 256,000 euros to ban tourist flats

The call began in February and has exceeded municipal forecasts by around 30%. Its aim is to help pay for the process needed to incorporate an explicit ban on using homes for tourist purposes into a property's statutes.

Communities can recover up to 50% of notary, registry and professional-fee costs. If existing statutes are amended, the subsidy reaches a maximum of €1,500; if new statutes need to be drafted, the limit rises to €2,500.

The agreement must be correctly formalised and registered in the Property Registry for the restriction to be binding on the property. The initiative is being developed with the collaboration of the Col·legi d’Administradors de Finques de Barcelona-Lleida and the Cambra de la Propietat Urbana de Barcelona.

There is, however, an important difference for residents: amending the statutes can prevent new tourist homes from appearing in the building in future, but it does not automatically evict those that already have authorisation and operate legally.

The extension comes while Barcelona maintains its intention that current licences for tourist-use homes will not continue from November 2028. The measure would affect around 10,000 accommodations and forms part of the municipal strategy to recover housing for residential use, although the tourism sector has taken the plan to court.

The policy also has considerable support among residents. The Municipal Barometer published this summer indicates that 75% of Barcelona residents strongly or fairly agree with withdrawing tourist-flat licences.

The change is now being played out building by building. An owners' meeting can close the door to future tourist accommodation before it appears and recover part of the administrative cost of doing so. With the allocation expanded and five months still remaining to submit applications, the City Council expects many more communities to incorporate that prohibition into their rules of coexistence.