Post by High Priestess on Jun 4, 2017 19:14:44 GMT
Barcelona is cracking down on Airbnb rentals. And from the sound of it, so are Barcelona residents, the number of whom called in to report violators has risen dramatically from 39 to 2700 within one year. Barcelona will have 100 city agents working on tracking down illegal rentals.
______________________________________________
"The next time you book a holiday apartment in Barcelona you may wake up to find an inspector standing at the end of the bed."
www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/02/airbnb-faces-crackdown-on-illegal-apartment-rentals-in-barcelona
"The city has doubled from 20 to 40 the team of inspectors who roam the streets seeking out illegal rentals, armed with apps that reveal at a click whether properties are legal or not. By next year their number will have risen to more than 100. Cross-referencing licences with property advertised online, they identify rogue apartments which are then ordered to close down. Owners – when they can be found – face fines of up to €60,000."
“We often can’t track down the owners. They have disappeared,” said Silvia Arrue, who coordinates the team of inspectors.
“Our attitude is zero tolerance. We will do everything we can to guarantee the right to housing in the city,” Sanz said. “What these people have to understand is that Barcelona exists for its people. The priority is it’s a place to live.”
"The city has stopped issuing licences and many existing licences in the most heavily touristed areas such as Ciutat Vella (the old city) will not be renewed when they expire. After a hotline for reporting illegal flats opened the number of calls from the public rose from 39 in 2015 to 2,784 a year later."
_____________________________________________
What do you think -- is this good for protecting housing in the city? Or is it fighting off mosquitoes with sledgehammers? What about the fine -- 60,000 Euros -- does that seem reasonable?
______________________________________________
"The next time you book a holiday apartment in Barcelona you may wake up to find an inspector standing at the end of the bed."
www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/02/airbnb-faces-crackdown-on-illegal-apartment-rentals-in-barcelona
"The city has doubled from 20 to 40 the team of inspectors who roam the streets seeking out illegal rentals, armed with apps that reveal at a click whether properties are legal or not. By next year their number will have risen to more than 100. Cross-referencing licences with property advertised online, they identify rogue apartments which are then ordered to close down. Owners – when they can be found – face fines of up to €60,000."
“We often can’t track down the owners. They have disappeared,” said Silvia Arrue, who coordinates the team of inspectors.
“Our attitude is zero tolerance. We will do everything we can to guarantee the right to housing in the city,” Sanz said. “What these people have to understand is that Barcelona exists for its people. The priority is it’s a place to live.”
"The city has stopped issuing licences and many existing licences in the most heavily touristed areas such as Ciutat Vella (the old city) will not be renewed when they expire. After a hotline for reporting illegal flats opened the number of calls from the public rose from 39 in 2015 to 2,784 a year later."
_____________________________________________
What do you think -- is this good for protecting housing in the city? Or is it fighting off mosquitoes with sledgehammers? What about the fine -- 60,000 Euros -- does that seem reasonable?