What is happening in Barcelona with Airbnb accommodation is a lesson for Greece

the Barcelona It plans to ban all short-term rentals of the type housing Airbnb For tourists from November 2028 mayor A Spanish city is trying to control rising rental costs for locals.

Barcelona Mayor Jaume Colboni said in a press conference that the city of Barcelona will stop issuing new permits and will not renew existing ones, so that by 2029 no house will receive a permit to rent as tourist accommodation. Today there are approximately 10,000 homes listed as tourist rentals.

He said: “We cannot allow the fact that most young people who leave their homes have to leave Barcelona as well. The measures we have taken will not change the situation overnight. These things take time. But with these measures we have reached a turning point.”

Deputy Mayor and Head of Urban Planning, Laia Bonnet, considered this move “equivalent to building 10,000 new apartments,” which will be able to be used by local residents for residential use. In addition to withdrawing permits for tourist apartments, the mayor of Barcelona announced that the new legislation will require developers to allocate at least 30% of new homes to social housing.

These measures aim to relieve pressure on the housing market. It should be noted that in recent years there has been a significant increase in prices due to excessive tourism. This fact led to the displacement of local residents in Barcelona who could not bear these conditions.

Rental prices per square meter in Barcelona rose 14% in the 12 months to April, the highest among Spanish cities, according to Idealista, the country’s largest property listings site.

According to the Barcelona Tourism Observatory, 16 million tourists will visit the city in 2023.

Airbnb is ‘under persecution’ in Europe

In Italy, Florence, one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations, has banned short-term rentals of new homes on platforms such as Airbnb in its historic centre, in the latest attempt by the local authority to free up more housing for locals. The rules, approved by the city of Tuscany, also provide tax breaks for three years for owners of existing short-term rentals if they convert to regular rentals. Meanwhile, restrictions are also being considered in Rome, Milan and Venice.

In Amsterdam they restrict Airbnb greatly. Each owner can avail their property through short-term rental platforms for only 30 days a year. After this time limit, the owner needs a special permit.

Something similar is happening in Ireland. In Dublin, the time limit is 90 days for short-term rentals.

According to Euronews, Berlin has banned Airbnb completely. Now the ban has been lifted, but strict rules and fines have been imposed on violators. Specifically, Airbnb hosts will need a special permit to rent out an entire property on a short-term basis. If someone wants to grant a second residence, they can do so for a maximum of 90 days per year. In Munich, short-term rental of entire homes is limited to eight weeks per year, and also requires a special permit. In Stuttgart, the time limit is 10 weeks per year without needing a permit.

In Paris, those who want to become Airbnb hosts must register at the city hall. Rather, it is limited to renting for a maximum of 120 days per year. If they want to rent a second property for more than 120 days, they must officially convert it into a furnished holiday residence.

Cities like New York, Vancouver and Tokyo now insist that hosts must live in the apartments they rent, while San Francisco and Seattle limit the number of properties a host can list.

Dallas has banned short-term apartments in certain neighborhoods, while several other cities — including London, Amsterdam and Paris — have placed limits on the number of nights an apartment can be rented per year on the market.

source: BBC

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