Do you want to buy a home in Barcelona to use as a tourist rental? According to the statistics published by Barcelona City Council, homes intended for tourist use have remained stable from 2021 to 2022 with 9,397 homes for tourist use and the neighborhood with the highest number of this type of homes is Dreta de l’Eixample. The profitability of this rental of homes varies depending on the location and other factors (condition of the property or management), but, in general, on average, it is between 5% and 7%. If you want to use a home you own for tourist use, you will need to obtain a license. We tell you how to get a tourist license in Barcelona, what regulations apply, what areas exist and what possibilities there are of obtaining a license in each area.
Regulations applicable to tourist homes
The legislation applicable to tourist apartments in Barcelona is the Special Urban Plan for Tourist Accommodation (known by its acronym PEUAT), which came into force in 2017 with the objective of accommodation of this type not being concentrated in a single area and being distributed appropriately around the city. To achieve this, the need to obtain a tourist license was established.
The Special Plan differentiates several types of tourist accommodation:
– Housing for tourist use (VUT).
– Tourist accommodation establishments (hotels, aparthotels, hostels, guesthouses and tourist apartments).
– Youth hostels.
On the other hand, in Barcelona the concept of shared homes was created, that is, regular homes in which rooms are rented for tourist use. In this case, the stay cannot exceed 31 days, the maximum places are four and the person who must request authorization must be the person who usually lives in the home.
PEUAT zones
The regulations contained in the PEUAT differentiate four zones in Barcelona, which are the following:
– Zone 1: includes the neighborhoods of Hostafrancs, Ciutat Vella, Vila Olímpica, Vila de Gràcia, Sant Antoni, Poble Sec, Eixample and Poblenou. This area is where the largest number of tourist apartments are concentrated, so no type of new license for tourist housing is allowed, nor is the extension of existing licenses allowed. As for shared homes, they can be implemented through the conversion of existing tourist homes.
– Zone 2: includes the neighborhoods of Fort Pienc, Poblenou, Sants, Baix Guinardó, Font de la Guatlla, Sant Antoni and Diagonal Mar. A license will only be granted for tourist homes in this area if an existing one is removed and You may open a new establishment in zone 3. Shared homes are regulated in the same way as in the previous case.
– Zone 3: includes the neighborhoods of Vallcarca, Horta, Les Corts, Sarrià, La Verneda Nou Barris El Guinardó and La Sagrera. In this area, new licenses are granted until the maximum number is reached and the following conditions must be met:
– A new establishment can only be opened when there is a drop in zones 1, 2 and 4 up to a maximum of 370 establishments.
– They can only be located in blocks whose density does not exceed a ratio of 1.48% between the number of VUTs and the number of homes or until an entire building is filled with a maximum of ten VUTs.
Shared homes can also be opened in this area through the conversion of already existing VUT.
– Zone 4: in the area are neighborhoods such as Norte del 22@, Marina del Prat Vermell and La Sagrera. Each subzone has specific regulations and new tourist licenses are not permitted. The deregistration of a tourist home will allow the opening of a new one in zone 3. As for shared homes, as in previous cases, they can be implemented through the conversion of an existing tourist home.
How to get a tourist license in Barcelona: requirements
In the event that you can obtain a tourist license in Barcelona, considering the limitations that we have seen in the previous section for each area, you will have to consider the following requirements:
– That the home meets all the minimum technical and quality conditions established by law.
– That the home has a certificate of habitability. No more people may stay in the home than those stated on the ID.
– The interior of the home must be in a perfect state of hygiene and furnished.
– The home must have a Catalan tourist registry inventory number. Inside the house there must be a sign with that number and it will have to be provided to tourists.
– The owner of the home must have a telephone available 24 hours a day to resolve incidents that occur during the stay.
How to get a tourist license in Barcelona: steps to obtain it
Once you verify that you meet all the requirements to obtain a tourist license in Barcelona, you must request it from the Citizen Services Office that corresponds to the district in which the home is located.
To obtain a tourist license, Barcelona City Council prepares a prior report that costs 57 euros. This report verifies the state of housing and the density of tourist housing in the area. The tourist license in Barcelona costs approximately 300 euros.
The sale of the apartment implies the loss of the tourist license unless said license is transferred to the new owner through express communication to Barcelona City Council.
Benefits of buying an apartment with a tourist license in Barcelona
Buying an apartment in Barcelona as an investment to use as tourist housing has various benefits that depend on factors such as: the situation of the apartment, the price and purchase and sale expenses, the need or not to carry out works and the management of the vacation rental. .
The benefits that can be obtained are the following:
– Greater profitability compared to a long-term rental.
– The risk of non-payment is eliminated because the rental payment is made in advance by the tourist.
– It is easier to keep the home in good condition since the situation is monitored from time to time and repairs can be made.
– Another advantage is the possibility of using the home for your own use on the dates considered appropriate. This does not happen with housing with a rental subject to the Urban Leases Law, since the contract is extended for a minimum of one year.
– You can select guests based on certain filters such as the possibility of hosting pets, for example.
However, to obtain all these advantages you will have to carry out good management or hire experts in vacation rental management in Barcelona. In this way, the entire process of selecting tenants or maintaining the home will be in the hands of professionals who will carry out all the procedures quickly and you will obtain greater profitability.
How long does it take to sell an apartment?
