Sofía Gallego, who arrived in Barcelona to study, signed a contract in August to rent a room on Rocafort street, in a building mostly managed by the company Rent Rooms Barcelona. Article eight of the contract stipulated that a guest could only spend a maximum of two nights a month in the apartment, with penalties of 100 euros per person per day for non-compliance.
In October, Gallego received an extra bill for 600 euros for having her partner sleep over a few nights. After consulting the Sindicat de Llogateres (Tenants' Union), the young woman requested a meeting with the company to question the legality of the clause and the use of security cameras to “spy” on tenants.
“"As long as no illegal activities are taking place, nobody should care who enters or leaves your room. It is not a hotel room."
The reaction of Rent Rooms Barcelona was to rescind her contract and demand she leave the apartment within ten days, a deadline that was finally extended to one month. Furthermore, the company retained 250 euros of Gallego's deposit despite her explicit refusal to pay the penalty, considering it illegal.
Legally, Jordi Bonshoms, a law professor at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), maintains that this clause flagrantly violates the fundamental right to privacy, constituting an abusive practice. The Tenants' Union points out that this case is an example of how room rentals, a “highly unregulated” concept, become a source of total abuse and instability.
