24
de Setembre
de
2015
Act.
24
de Setembre
de
2015
If you are the owner of an apartment and you are interested in renting it out, you have to understand that it will be an economic activity under great scrutiny. In the context of the digital economy, with the rise and clear success of websites such as Booking.com, among others, differentiating what is sharing economy and what is not is essential so as not to fall into illegality: an exchange of dwellings for non-profit –the typical, "my flat in Barna, for your flat in Berlin"- is not the same as renting out an apartment in Barcelona's Eixample neighbourhood for 10 days during July.
The reality is that the tourist sector is vital for the whole of the Catalan economy. The figures bear this out: Catalonia received more than 12.11 million foreign tourists between January and August. "We want to maintain a minimum of quality in accommodation for people who visit us, as a country and a tourist destination, and to guarantee prestige as a destination and a brand," says Joan Abad Domènec, sub-director of the Generalitat's tourist department.
Avoiding the controversy of 'tourist flats'
The aim is that whoever enters a Catalan apartment should leave happy with the attention they have received, the condition of the accommodation and the facilities. In other words, that the flat complies with minimum standards. In practice, this aim has been translated into new Catalan regulations -which the Catalan government has announced it is hoping in a few months to pass- to deal with the popularly known model of tourist housing.
What does this imply? Well, on one hand, that your tenant will not spend more than 31 days in your apartment, no matter how magnificent the view or how great the beach is to visit. The client can only occupy the dwelling for this period, as a maximum. What's more, the dwelling has to be rented out as a piece and not in parts.
Secondly, a certificate of habitability is required, something new in the existing regulations, to avoid the letting of sub-standard housing. Therefore, the dwellings cannot accommodate more guests than the number of vacancies indicated on the certificate.
Another requirement is an emergency telephone number to attend to any possible complaints from neighbours about the occupants of the dwelling in question, and the owner will have to guarantee a good level of service and maintenance.
The path to legalising flat rental begins with the council in the Catalan city or town in which the housing is located. It is the council that must register entry and which therefore authorises the activity, as long as it is not in a building-restricted area or if the city is subject to a moratorium on the concession of licenses, as is currently the case in Barcelona.
Reasons for continuous inspection
The reason for reinforcing the requirements is down to the supervision of the tourist housing market becoming an important objective for the Catalan government, especially after the controversies that have arisen in Barcelona and its Barceloneta neighbourhood. The growing incidence of business activity originating in the digital economy is clear. "In Catalonia, this market makes up half our accommodation offer and so, from the point of view of tourism's economic impact, we need greater control," says Abad Domènec.
As individual inspection is just about a case of 'mission impossible', the Catalan government passed a rule in January 2014 requiring all tourist companies to feature the Registre Turístic de Catalunya (RTC) registration number on all its publicity, whether online, on paper or in promotions. In practice, this means that the survey that owners have to fill out on websites (on which they are advertising their apartment) and/or agencies has to include the license number.
With this mechanism, online inspection is supposed to become quicker. "There are 45,500 dwellings for tourist use in Catalonia, and it is impossible to check them one by one, but an online check is feasible, allowing us to be more effective. We cannot go on patrol, house by house," says Abad Domènec. In all, the first website to regularise its situation was Interhome.es, a Swiss operator based in Barcelona that has a thousand dwellings in Catalonia on its books. Booking.com is the second website to recently accept the new regulations, unlike operators such as Airbnb, Rentalia, Only-Apartments or Niumba.
Next December, the ordinance regulating tourist housing in Catalonia will go to Luxembourg, as the European Tourism Forum, organised by the European Commission, will host a Catalan delegation to present the work that is being carried out here. The director general of the Generalitat's tourism department, Marian Muro, will be the one taking part as a representative of the only tourist destination invited to the round-table event in order to explain the Catalan regulatory model in the context of the sharing economy in the accommodation sector.
The reality is that the tourist sector is vital for the whole of the Catalan economy. The figures bear this out: Catalonia received more than 12.11 million foreign tourists between January and August. "We want to maintain a minimum of quality in accommodation for people who visit us, as a country and a tourist destination, and to guarantee prestige as a destination and a brand," says Joan Abad Domènec, sub-director of the Generalitat's tourist department.
Avoiding the controversy of 'tourist flats'
The aim is that whoever enters a Catalan apartment should leave happy with the attention they have received, the condition of the accommodation and the facilities. In other words, that the flat complies with minimum standards. In practice, this aim has been translated into new Catalan regulations -which the Catalan government has announced it is hoping in a few months to pass- to deal with the popularly known model of tourist housing.
What does this imply? Well, on one hand, that your tenant will not spend more than 31 days in your apartment, no matter how magnificent the view or how great the beach is to visit. The client can only occupy the dwelling for this period, as a maximum. What's more, the dwelling has to be rented out as a piece and not in parts.
Secondly, a certificate of habitability is required, something new in the existing regulations, to avoid the letting of sub-standard housing. Therefore, the dwellings cannot accommodate more guests than the number of vacancies indicated on the certificate.
Another requirement is an emergency telephone number to attend to any possible complaints from neighbours about the occupants of the dwelling in question, and the owner will have to guarantee a good level of service and maintenance.
The path to legalising flat rental begins with the council in the Catalan city or town in which the housing is located. It is the council that must register entry and which therefore authorises the activity, as long as it is not in a building-restricted area or if the city is subject to a moratorium on the concession of licenses, as is currently the case in Barcelona.
Reasons for continuous inspection
The reason for reinforcing the requirements is down to the supervision of the tourist housing market becoming an important objective for the Catalan government, especially after the controversies that have arisen in Barcelona and its Barceloneta neighbourhood. The growing incidence of business activity originating in the digital economy is clear. "In Catalonia, this market makes up half our accommodation offer and so, from the point of view of tourism's economic impact, we need greater control," says Abad Domènec.
As individual inspection is just about a case of 'mission impossible', the Catalan government passed a rule in January 2014 requiring all tourist companies to feature the Registre Turístic de Catalunya (RTC) registration number on all its publicity, whether online, on paper or in promotions. In practice, this means that the survey that owners have to fill out on websites (on which they are advertising their apartment) and/or agencies has to include the license number.
 |
| One of the Ajuntament de Barelona teams going to an inspection in Barceloneta. J. Pérez (ACN) |
With this mechanism, online inspection is supposed to become quicker. "There are 45,500 dwellings for tourist use in Catalonia, and it is impossible to check them one by one, but an online check is feasible, allowing us to be more effective. We cannot go on patrol, house by house," says Abad Domènec. In all, the first website to regularise its situation was Interhome.es, a Swiss operator based in Barcelona that has a thousand dwellings in Catalonia on its books. Booking.com is the second website to recently accept the new regulations, unlike operators such as Airbnb, Rentalia, Only-Apartments or Niumba.
Next December, the ordinance regulating tourist housing in Catalonia will go to Luxembourg, as the European Tourism Forum, organised by the European Commission, will host a Catalan delegation to present the work that is being carried out here. The director general of the Generalitat's tourism department, Marian Muro, will be the one taking part as a representative of the only tourist destination invited to the round-table event in order to explain the Catalan regulatory model in the context of the sharing economy in the accommodation sector.