Barcelona’s landmark decision to phase out all 10,101 licensed tourist apartments by November 2028 has sent shockwaves through its metropolitan area, prompting a cascade of similar measures from neighbouring councils also grappling with a severe housing crisis.
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The move, announced by Mayor Jaume Collboni, aims to return thousands of properties to the long-term rental market. A decree-law from the Generalitat de Catalunya (Decree-Law 3/2023) legally underpins this, empowering municipalities to regulate or eliminate short-term holiday lets. Now, at least five adjacent cities have confirmed they will follow Barcelona’s lead, creating a widening cordon of restrictions around the Catalan capital.
The Metropolitan Domino Effect
The most significant council to adopt the policy is L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia’s second-most populous city. Officials there argue that the pressure from Barcelona has become unsustainable. “We have saturated neighbourhoods that can no longer be victims of being next to Barcelona,” explained José Antonio Alcaide, the councillor for Economy, in comments reported by El Periódico. He stressed that existing buildings should primarily serve residential housing needs. L’Hospitalet is reinforcing its strategy with a new Local Housing Plan and intends to build a team of inspectors to police “inappropriate uses” of properties.
Other municipalities bordering Barcelona have been swift to align their policies. Cornellà de Llobregat announced its 88 existing licenses “will automatically expire in 2028 and will not be renewed.” The administration of Mayor Antonio Balmón stated the primary goal is to “preserve the residential character of the neighbourhoods and promote access to housing for residents.”
On the other side of Barcelona, along the Besòs river, Sant Adrià de Besòs has taken a similarly hard line. The city stopped issuing new licenses in December 2023 and will eliminate all existing ones by the 2028 deadline. “Sant Adrià was the first city of fewer than 50,000 inhabitants to prohibit new VUTs [Viviendas de Uso Turístico] and decide to eliminate them entirely by 2028,” declared Urban Planning Councillor José Antonio Gras. “We want residential land to be for building homes to live in, not for other business uses.” The city’s actions are part of a broader effort to improve local housing, which has included injecting funds into urban regeneration projects in the area.
Esplugues de Llobregat and Sant Feliu de Llobregat have also joined the prohibition. Municipal sources in Esplugues cited a need to “prevent the supply of collective or temporary accommodation from reducing the stock of housing for regular use.”
A Spectrum of Responses
While a full ban is gaining traction, not all municipalities are adopting an identical strategy. In Badalona, Mayor Xavier García Albiol initially suggested a total ban, though he later clarified it. The city will prohibit new licenses to avoid becoming an “anomaly” among its neighbours, but existing tourist flats will continue operating. Badalona expects to finalise the precise details of its regulation in the coming months.
Meanwhile, in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Mayor Mireia González acknowledged that Barcelona’s decision was a catalyst for action. Though the city has not opted for a complete prohibition, its new local regulations “leave very little room for the implementation of new VUTs.” González stated, “The regulations and prohibitions in the city of Barcelona led us to protect the local housing stock.” The council plans to re-evaluate its position in 2027 to decide whether more restrictive measures are needed.
Further away from the capital, towns in Baix Llobregat like El Prat, Viladecans, and Sant Boi describe the presence of tourist apartments as “testimonial.” While the issue is not a political priority, these councils have already implemented regulations to limit their growth and remain vigilant for any displacement effect from Barcelona.
Coastal Towns Take a Cautious Approach
The ripple effect has also reached major tourist destinations along the coast, though with less intensity. In towns like Lloret de Mar, Calella, and Santa Susanna, which are tourism powerhouses, councils are not planning outright bans. Instead, they are using the new legal framework to impose stricter controls and manage the density of holiday lets.
“We will continue to renew licenses, but with regulation and organisation,” said Joan Campolier, the mayor of Santa Susanna. He added that the town is open to “eliminating licenses in very crowded areas” but not eradicating them completely.
Similarly, Castelldefels, which has 378 licensed tourist flats, is not considering their elimination but has pledged to act “forcefully” against illegal operators. The varying approaches reflect a region-wide consensus: reining in the explosive growth of short-term lets is essential. This issue has become central to the debate over housing affordability and the long-term character of Catalonia’s cities and towns. As the November 2028 deadline approaches, all eyes will be on how these new policies reshape the region’s housing and tourism landscape.
