Urban Planning Amendment to Regulate Seasonal Rentals and Room Rentals

The Plenary Session of the Barcelona Municipal Council has provisionally approved the amendment to the Metropolitan General Plan (PGM) aimed at regulating, from an urban planning perspective, seasonal rentals and room rentals in the city. This initiative represents a significant step in the municipal strategy to prioritise habitual and permanent use of housing over temporary uses.

The amendment to the PGM (MPGM) establishes a clear and differentiated definition of housing uses —habitual, permanent, temporary, and secondary residence— and grants the City Council the authority to prohibit, limit, or condition uses other than habitual use through subsequent urban planning instruments or municipal ordinances, with the possibility of applying specific restrictions by district, neighbourhood, or building in order to protect the residential character of the city.

With regard to room rentals, the regulation stipulates that, where such rentals are of a permanent nature, they must guarantee all residents access to the necessary shared facilities to ensure adequate habitability conditions. Regarding seasonal rentals, the regulation seeks to prevent misuse and encourage the incorporation of such properties into the residential rental market. Seasonal rentals may only be justified on grounds of employment, medical treatment, study, or similar reasons, which must be duly documented when required by applicable legislation.

This urban planning amendment complements the regional regulatory framework approved by the Parliament of Catalonia in December 2025, which extended the price containment regime of the Spanish Housing Act to seasonal rentals and introduced the requirement to certify their temporary nature. The approval of this MPGM adds an additional layer of regulation from the perspective of land-use planning, thereby strengthening public intervention in the field of housing use.