Shock plan to detect illegal tourist lets reactivated
After two years of the pandemic and the recovery of tourism in the city, Barcelona City Council has relaunched its plan to check ads and identify unlicensed tourist lets. Some 21,000 adverts have been checked to date and 360 unlicensed flats detected.
The shock plan to combat the proliferation of illegal tourist les in the city entails a 70-strong team tasked with identifying them on digital platforms and in the streets. Once identified, digital platforms are required to immediately remove the ads and proceedings are brought, leading to fines of between 3,000 and 60,000 euros.
European regulation of illegal tourist lets
The city councils of Barcelona and Amsterdam were pioneers in regulating unlicensed tourist lets. These have now been joined by other cities calling for a European regulation to combat illegal tourist accommodation and tackle speculation and gentrification.
