Simon Hunter
ANY new tourist accommodation in Spain that is located in an apartment block could soon require the approval of the homeowner’s association before it can be used.
That’s according to a new proposal from the Socialist Party government, at a time when regular protests are being held across the country to demand a new model of tourism and protest against the negative effects the sector is having on Spaniards’ day-to-day lives.
Essentially, the rest of the residents in the building would have to say yes before an Airbnb or other rental apartment could begin to operate.
According to the draft proposal, which has been seen by newspaper El Pais and radio network Cadena Ser, this new rule could not be applied retroactively, meaning that existing tourist accommodation would not be affected.
However, other means are available to rein in the number of tourist apartments in a destination, such as the mayor of Barcelona’s recent announcement that he would let licences on such accommodation lapse completely by 2028, essentially eliminating Airbnb-style rentals from the city.
The text, which will have to be approved by Congress before going any further, states that ‘the increase in tourist apartments has caused several undesired effects’.
These include problems ‘of coexistence and nuisance’, as well a dwindling pool of housing for locals, a rise in prices and gentrification of neighbourhoods.
According to the latest data from Spain’s INE statistics institute, as of February there were 350,000 tourist apartments in Spain.
So far this year there have been demonstrations in Mallorca, Malaga, the Canary Islands and Barcelona calling for a rethink of the country’s tourism sector.
