The Barcelona City Council has raised the amount of aid for property owner communities deciding to prohibit tourist apartments in their buildings. The subsidy increases from 56,000 euros to 256,000 euros, and the application deadline has been extended to December 31, 2026. The first call for applications received over 80 submissions, exceeding the council's initial expectations.
This aid is primarily intended to cover management expenses associated with modifying community statutes to restrict tourist uses. Communities can receive up to 50% of management costs, with a maximum of 1,500 euros for modifying existing statutes and up to 2,500 euros for creating new ones.
The Deputy Mayor for Economy, Housing, Finance, and Tourism, Jordi Valls, highlighted that the objective of these subsidies is to "contribute to the elimination of tourist apartments in the city," in line with established agreements. Valls noted that the expansion of aid responds to a demand that has exceeded municipal projections by 30%.
The initiative is part of a collaboration agreement between the City Council, the College of Property Administrators of Barcelona-Lleida, and the Chamber of Urban Property of Barcelona. Legal recommendations emphasize prevention, with aid covering statute modifications to prohibit new tourist apartments, but not existing ones.
