Barcelona’s powerful tourist flats lobby has launched a new initiative to combat the city’s black market of unlicensed short-term rentals.
The Association of Tourist Apartments of Barcelona (Apartur), which represents legal property owners and operators, announced the creation of an anonymous reporting tool for residents to flag illegal apartments and rooms. The scheme aims to strengthen detection and enforcement against unlicensed rentals, complementing the existing incident portal run by the city council.
The move comes amid a tense battle over the future of tourist accommodation in the Catalan capital. The Spanish government recently identified 7,726 illegal listings active each day in Catalonia and has urged platforms such as Airbnb to remove them. At the same time, mayor Jaume Collboni has pledged to eliminate all tourist flats — legal and illegal alike — by 2028, a plan that has drawn fierce opposition from the sector.
Apartur insists that its new whistleblowing mechanism is designed to protect compliant operators while helping to root out unfair competition. The association argues that illegal flats damage the city’s housing market, fuel neighbourhood tensions and harm the reputation of the legal tourist rental industry.
With tourism returning to pre-pandemic levels, the clash between Barcelona’s authorities and its tourism sector shows little sign of easing. This latest move underscores the high stakes as the city seeks to balance residents’ housing rights with its role as one of Europe’s top tourist destinations.
👉 Join our WhatsApp broadcast channel to get all of the latest news delivered to you
