Budget Surges to Meet High Demand
The Barcelona City Council approved a resolution on Tuesday to significantly increase the dedicated subsidy budget aimed at encouraging residential communities to ban tourist apartments, raising it from the original €56,000 to €256,000. The city government stated that since the program’s launch, the market response has been overwhelming, with application volumes about 30% higher than anticipated.
Jordi Valls, the Deputy Mayor for Housing, pointed out that this budget increase is a direct response to the genuine needs of homeowners’ associations. Reportedly, the city has received over 80 applications since the first round opened in February.
Policy Background and Long-Term Goals
This subsidy program was jointly launched following negotiations between the Barcelona City Council and the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC). Its core objective is to use financial incentives to encourage more residential buildings to legally prohibit the use of their units for short-term tourist rentals by amending their homeowners’ association statutes.
This measure is part of Barcelona’s broader strategy to completely phase out all tourist accommodation licenses by 2028, aiming to gradually return properties currently used as tourist apartments to the long-term rental market and alleviate the housing pressure on local residents.
Subsidy Details and Eligibility
According to the regulations, homeowners’ associations that successfully amend their community statutes to prohibit tourist apartments can apply for subsidies to cover the associated administrative costs.
The subsidy covers notary fees, property registration fees, and costs for professional services, covering up to 50% of the actual expenses. The specific subsidy amount is divided into two tiers based on the community’s situation:
- For those that need to amend existing community statutes, a maximum subsidy of €1,500 is available.
- For those needing to create new statutes that include the ban, the maximum subsidy can reach €2,500.
