Tourist apartment companies have filed financial liability claims against the decree that limits them, for an amount of 1,000 million euros, according to their employers.
The president of the Association of Tourist Apartments of Barcelona (Apartur), Enrique Alcántara, explained this during a press conference with the general director, Marian Muro, during which he added that so far around 1,500 tourist apartments and 25 management companies have filed complaints located in Barcelona.
Decree-Law 3/2023 of the Generalitat establishes a maximum number of tourist apartments in municipalities that will force some town halls to remove licenses. In the case of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni announced that he would not renew them directly when they expire in 2028.
Alcántara explained that the deadline for submitting them ends on November 8 and predicted that the claims would reach 3 billion in Barcelona and 7 billion in Catalonia as a whole. He added that the extinction of tourist apartment licenses implies a “patrimonial responsibility” that must be assumed by public administrations.
The president of the entity stressed that the owners of the properties understand that “there are obvious damages to their assets.” In this sense, he indicated that the amount claimed includes both the value of the homes and the difference in benefits between tourist rentals and those they would have if the apartments were used for traditional rentals.
Muro deplored that this is a “hidden expropriation of a right and that gives rise to compensation” to the owners who have this right. He criticized the fact that this situation causes “legal uncertainty and significant vulnerability” for any sector that carries out an activity with a license.
Asked about relations with the government led by Salvador Illa, Alcántara explained that they had already requested a meeting and knew they could do it “soon.”
He regretted that this government had to face the consequences of a decree approved by the previous Catalan executive and asked for “thorough reflection on the negative effect” that the extinction of these licenses could have on the Catalan economy and on the owners.
The president of the association regretted that the Barcelona City Council “has not” extended its hand to dialogue and that, according to him, it has been more than a year since they asked to meet with the mayor, Jaume Collboni, and they have not yet done so.
