CSN News: Protestors in Spain are preparing to march against tourist flats, and neighbours will be empowered to do so.

In order to open a tourist apartment in Spain, the owners’ and neighbours’ community must now approve the opening.

This new law was introduced by the government to “empower” residents and reduce the use of their homes for tourists in a housing crisis.

In some areas of Spain, the house prices are increasing uncontrollably. It is harder to find an apartment to rent than a permanent holiday home.

The decision was made in anticipation of Saturday’s mass protests, which will be held in more than 40 Spanish cities.

Find out where the protests are taking place.

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The housing crisis that is currently affecting the country will be the cause of many citizens taking to the streets.

Under the slogan ‘Down With The Housing Sector’, the protests will be the largest against the housing sector in over a decade.

The regulatory change requires that in order to put a holiday rental home in a building, the ‘express approval’ of 60% of the neighbours is necessary.

Many neighborhood associations are in favor of this change. The aim is to involve the owners in the decision-making.

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Owner participation was already in place, but now owners have more say over what happens within their building.

Simple votes between owners can determine whether or not a holiday apartment is allowed.

In large cities, the proliferation of holiday flats is a problem.

In the spanish holiday apartment market, between August 2023 and 2024 the number grew by 16.6%.

There are 396.883 homes in total with this type of use. Of these, half are located in Andalusia, where there are 88.435, the Valencian Community (71.186) and Catalonia (50.8708).

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A big problem with these tourist flats is that they lack a valid license.

According to the Madrid city council, 14,000 apartments would be illegally let.

Both the Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez, have said in recent months that Spain needs “less Airbnb and more housing”