The Road to 2028: Inside Barcelona's Plan to Phase Out 10,000 Tourist Apartments

The regulatory landscape for tourist accommodation in Barcelona is entering a critical phase. Following a strategic policy shift announced by Mayor Jaume Collboni in mid-2024, the City Council remains positioned to let all remaining tourist-use housing (HUT) licences expire without renewal by November 2028. The measure aims to reclaim roughly 10,000 legally registered holiday apartments and return them directly to the traditional residential market.

This initiative marks the culmination of a decade-long legislative effort to balance local housing rights with the city’s massive tourism industry, which accounts for 15% of Barcelona's GDP.

A Decade of Restrictions: How We Got Here

Barcelona’s approach to short-term holiday rentals has long served as a legislative pioneer in Europe, moving through distinct regulatory phases over the last twelve years:

• 2014 (The Licence Freeze): Following significant neighborhood friction and overcrowding, particularly after a summer of public unrest in the Barceloneta district, then-mayor Xavier Trias issued a complete moratorium on the creation of new tourist flat licences.
• 2018 (The PEUAT Framework): The city permanently froze inner-city supply under the Special Urban Plan for Tourist Accommodation (PEUAT), directing any potential new licenses strictly to the city’s outskirts while launching an aggressive inspection campaign that has shut down over 6,000 illegal listings since its implementation.
• The 2028 Goal: Transitioning forward, the current administration is relying on a regional decree passed by the Government of Catalonia. The framework requires Catalan municipalities to specify exactly how many tourist flats they want to permit; Barcelona has declared it wants zero.

The 2026 Standoff: Institutional Campaigns vs. Sector Pushback

As the countdown toward 2028 progresses, it has triggered an intense legal and public relations dispute between the local administration and the tourist housing sector.

This June 2026, the Association of Tourist Apartments of Barcelona (Apartur) formally demanded the immediate withdrawal of a municipal advertising campaign that uses flyers, banners, and social media to broadcast the end of holiday rentals. Apartur maintains that the campaign violates institutional advertising laws, as no finalized, legally valid decision has been formally adopted by the council's competent administrative bodies to guarantee the elimination.

Furthermore, industry representatives highlight a significant structural paradox regarding the city's actual housing stock allocation based on Tax Agency (Agencia Tributaria) data:

• The 1.3% Footprint: Legally registered tourist flats make up just 1% to 1.3% of Barcelona's entire housing stock.
• Alternative Real Estate Uses: There are nearly 30,000 properties in Barcelona used for alternative economic practices, including professional offices, consulting rooms, hair salons, and medical clinics.
• Vacant Properties: The city holds approximately 60,000 completely empty or vacant homes.

The Impact on Tourism and Future Property Use

The trade association warns that completely erasing tourist flats will eliminate roughly 60,000 available guest beds—representing 39% of the city's total accommodation capacity (compared to hotels which hold 49%). Critics and operators warn this could heavily restrict the city's ability to host major global events like the Mobile World Congress (MWC) and could mirror scenarios like New York, where illegal unregulated rentals surged.

Moreover, independent studies indicate that the expiration of licences may not result in a sudden wave of affordable long-term housing. Under fundamental property rights, individual owners will remain completely free to choose the future purpose of their assets—whether that means transitioning properties to alternative legal frameworks, keeping them for personal use, or leaving the rental market entirely.

Conclusion

As Barcelona moves closer to its self-imposed 2028 horizon, the intersection of municipal planning, regional decrees, and constitutional property rights creates a highly complex environment for property owners. Navigating this transition successfully requires looking past daily political headlines and monitoring the concrete legal developments of the market.

At MySpot Barcelona, we provide clear, objective analysis on local compliance, housing regulations, and evolving real estate frameworks. Whether you are managing central property assets or adjusting your long-term portfolio strategy, we help you make data-driven decisions.

Get in touch with our team today to discuss your next move in the city.

Sources: https://www.barcelona.cat/metropolis/en/contents/the-city-that-doesnt-want-single-tourist-flat

https://www.idealista.com/en/news/property-for-rent-in-spain/2025/06/12/848193-goodbye-airbnb-barcelona-sets-2028-deadline-to-phase-out-tourist-apartments

https://www.idealista.com/news/inmobiliario/vivienda/2026/06/01/899957-apartur-urge-a-retirar-la-campana-del-fin-de-licencias-de-pisos-turisticos-en

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