City Watch: Barcelona
Barcelona froze new tourist licenses years ago and just announced it will phase out every short-term rental permit by 2028. City inspectors now work with regional police, and OTAs must purge any listing without a valid HUT license.
- Zero new licenses; renewals tied to strict building codes.
- Mayor Collboni plans to convert tourist units back to housing.
- Fines reach €600K for repeat violations.
Catalonia’s capital is the global test case for eliminating tourist flats. ASTRO coordinates with EU counsel, owner co-ops, and hospitality unions to preserve reasonable pathways for professional operators.
What’s happening now
- License sunset: All 10,000+ HUT permits expire by 2028 unless the city reverses course.
- Data sharing: Platforms must share booking data with the Generalitat to spot illegal stays.
- Zoning redlines: Entire districts are capped at zero tourist flats to combat gentrification.
- Housing plan linkage: Owners must fund affordable housing or rehab units to keep limited licenses.
ASTRO’s EU desk keeps a bilingual docket of court cases in Catalonia and Brussels. We coordinate with Barcelona Oberta, APARTUR, and neighborhood councils so our members are seen as partners, not speculators. Short-term strategy: keep paperwork flawless, diversify revenue with sponsor residencies or artist programs, and prep for 90+ day corporate bookings.
We’re also documenting the economic fallout of the 2028 sunset so we can negotiate a replacement framework that rewards compliance, community contributions, and energy-efficient rehabs.
- What do members get? Toolkits, governance tracking, and a trusted exchange.
- How fast can we launch? Paste Markdown, run the pave script, verify.