Barcelona residents denounce 'coliving' fraud to bypass rent caps

Housing unions file 44 complaints with the Generalitat against investment funds for illegal room rental advertisements.

Generic image of a residential building in Barcelona with protest signs against housing speculation.
IA

Generic image of a residential building in Barcelona with protest signs against housing speculation.

The Sindicat de Llogueteres filed 44 formal complaints in Barcelona this Wednesday against investment firms using coliving models to circumvent the Catalan Housing Law.

The complaints target advertisements that fail to disclose mandatory information, such as the official rent index or the owner's status as a large scale landlord. Activists gathered in front of New Amsterdam Developers (NAD) offices on Buenos Aires street to protest against the displacement of long-term residents in favor of high-priced individual room rentals.

"Allowing these cases to proliferate only leads to unrest, frustration, and discontent among citizens."

Enric Aragonès · Spokesperson for the Sindicat de Llogueteres
In the Gràcia neighborhood, resident Txema Escorsa faces eviction on March 25th. He reports that while he pays 811 euros for his entire flat, the new owners are renting out single rooms in the same building for 950 euros each. Similar cases have been detected in the Eixample district and nearby towns like Cerdanyola del Vallès.