Barcelona offers an extensive range of tourist accommodation so everyone visiting the city can enjoy their stay here like any other local, integrated into the daily dynamics of city and the neighbours they share an essential communal space with. Living together in such accommodation implies a series of rights and duties that need to be clear when rental contracts are signed. Enjoying a travel experience which is personally rewarding, as well as respectful to the local population, also depends on the visitors themselves.

Unfortunately, for all its legal accommodation available, Barcelona also has a range of illegal accommodation that harms not just the people who rent it - depriving them of their right to complain about any incidents and denying them the supplementary services they are otherwise entitled to - but also the city itself, as it creates speculation and illicit economies and its activities leave nothing positive for local neighbours, causing nuisance and complaints.

If you are visiting Barcelona, we need your commitment and cooperation to prevent the proliferation of this illicit economy in our city and the irresponsible, economically unsustainable and environmentally unfriendly tourism it encourages.

Make sure your flat is licensed before you rent it and if it isn't, turn it down and help us to fight fraud.

If you're a local resident inconvenienced by activities in tourist accommodation and you'd like to help us combat this phenomenon, it is now even easier to send us your complaint.

Resolve your queries

What is a tourist flat?

These are flats that are occasionally rented out by their owners, either directly or indirectly through an agency, for a stay of up to 31 days, in return for monetary payment.

Flat owners have to expressly inform the City Council of their intention to carry out this activity and require a permit from the Council confirming their flats meet all the requirements established by law. They must also have a certificate of habitability and may not accommodate more than the number of people established in the certificate. The interiors of these flats must be furnished, in a perfect state of hygiene and contain all the utensils required for living in it.

Either the owner directly, or the agency managing the flat, must provide the tenants or neighbours with their phone number so they can immediately deal with and resolve any queries or incidents relating to their flats. They must also ensure there is a care or maintenance service for any incident.

Check if the rented flat has a municipal permit and that its address matches the one you are staying in. Sometimes other people who are not staying in the flat with you are named in the contract you sign. Or you may be told not to answer the door if a City Council inspector calls and say that a friend has given you use of the flat.

You will not be affected, whether you’re the person reporting the flat or whether you’re staying there when the authorities act on a previous report. The procedure to seal off an illegal tourist flat can take time and may take several months.
If a flat is to be sealed off while tourists happen to be staying there, the City Council will find them alternative accommodation at no charge. The City Council will then pass on the related costs to the owner of the unlicensed flat.

Legal tourist-use flats Illegal tourist-use flats
Guarantee a 24 hour telephone support service
To deal with complaints and resolve potential problems
Guarantee the contribution of corresponding taxes to make the city better for everyone.
Contribute to gentrification and drive local residents out of their homes in areas with the most tourists.
You run the risk of municipal inspectors expelling occupants from the home in order to seal it off due to illegal activity.
Mean greater control of those staying overnight in the city. Legal tourist-use flats detail who is staying in them, making those details available to the authorities and helping to avoid those wanted by the police from entering or staying in the country.

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Practical information

Barcelona made to measure, all you need to know: telephone numbers, services, information on transport, etc.

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Getting around the city

The city has an extensive public transport network connecting its districts.

+ Getting around the city

Accommodation in Barcelona

The city offers an extensive and diverse range of accommodation to suit everyone's pocket.

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Aquest servei romandrà tancat fins que es reprengui l’activitat turística de manera efectiva. ​Per a consultes, feu clic aquí. Si voleu conèixer la situació administrativa d’algun immoble concret o formular una demanda específica, podeu fer-ho en aquest enllaç. Si escau, s’iniciarà un procediment d’ofici.