Resolve your queries

• What is a tourist flat?

  These are residential properties whose owners or tenants allow them to be used, either directly or indirectly through agencies, for stays of up to 31 days in exchange for payment. Flats are rented in full, and cannot be shared with other groups.

• What does a tourist flat have to comply with to be legal?

  Owners must expressly inform the City Council of their wish to use their property in this way, and the Administration must grant a licence showing that all the requirements laid down in law and in urban planning regulations have been met. The properties must also have a certificate of habitability, which states the maximum number of people that can be accommodated. The interior of the property must be perfectly clean and fully furnished, and contain all the household items needed for everyday life. Legal tourism properties are given a Catalan Tourism Register Number (NIRTC). A sign with this number must be displayed inside the property, and visitors must also be given the number when they make their booking. Furthermore, people staying at legal tourism properties are given a 24-hour telephone number that they can call should there any issues arise during their stay.

• What obligations do owners of tourist flats have towards their neighbours?

  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.

• Why might I suspect I am staying in an illegal tourist flat?

  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.

• What are the administrative steps to stop a flat from operating as a tourist let?

  Here is the usual administrative procedure to close down a tourist let operating without a licence. From start to finish, the process can take from 6 to 12 months. This is a long period, not without its obstacles. The process entails multiple inspections, notifications and resources which need to be carried out to guarantee everybody’s rights and duties.

  Barcelona City Council’s role is to bring cases and work throughout the process to ensure there are sufficient grounds and evidence for the courts, ultimately, to give a ruling on ceasing the activity of the flat, based on the Tourism in Catalonia Act 13/2002

• What will happen to me if I report an illegal tourist let while I’m staying there?

  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.

• What differences are there between an legal tourist let and an illegal one?

  	Legal tourist-use flats	Illegal tourist-use flats
  Guarantee a 24 hour telephone support service. To deal with complaints and resolve potential problems.	Yes	No
  Guarantee the contribution of corresponding taxes to make the city better for everyone.	Yes	No
  You run the risk of municipal inspectors expelling occupants from the home in order to seal it off due to illegal activity.	No	Yes
  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.	Yes	No