Info Barcelona

Before booking a tourist let, check it’s legal

After two years of the pandemic, Barcelona City Council reactivated its shock plan in June to detect illegal tourist lets. A municipal team have so far detected 500 ads for unlicensed tourist accommodation. The City Council campaign “Before renting any tourist accommodation, check it’s legal” seeks to make visitors aware of the importance of staying in licensed apartments and calls on visitors and local people alike to help identify illegal lets.

15/07/2022 13:07 h

Ajuntament de Barcelona

What to do if you suspect a tourist apartment has no licence?

Visitors and local people can use the website www.fairtourism.barcelona to:

  • Search and check if an apartment advertised as a tourist let has a legal and valid licence.
  • Notify municipal services (using a form) where there is a suspicion that a tourist flat is being used illegally as a holiday let.

Five-hundred ads for illegal tourist lets detected

The 70-strong municipal detection team has so far identified 500 ads for unlicensed tourist accommodation since the shock plan was reactivated in June. Once the ads are identified, the platforms running them are requested to remove them from their site and a process begins which can lead to fines of between 3,000 and 60,000 euros. Since the shock plan was introduced, 8,100 cases have been brought and 7,400 orders issued for apartments to cease their activity.

What requisites must a tourist apartment meet?

Only licenced tourist apartments guarantee all the rights of those staying there. A legal tourist let must have a:

  • Municipal licence proving that the accommodation complies with all the requisites established by law and with urban planning regulations.
  • Habitability certificate. The number of people staying in the accommodation cannot exceed the number established on the certificate.
  • Registration number with the Tourist Registry of Catalonia (NIRTC). The apartment must have a sign indicating this number, which must be given to visitors once they make their booking.
  • 24-hour contact number which people can call to resolve incidents.