82.7% of Catalan tourist rentals still lack a registration number to operate legally on digital platforms, just days before it becomes mandatory. European regulations seeking to end the fraudulent use of short-term rentals, which include tourist and seasonal rentals, will come into force in Spain on July 1, and only 9,109 of the 52,870 tourist homes in Catalonia are registered, according to the latest data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

Seasonal rentals in Barcelona have skyrocketed in recent years, especially since the introduction of the state housing law. Approved in May 2023, this law laid the groundwork for subsequent rental regulations, which came into effect in March 2024, with a price cap on traditional leases. However, it did not affect the entire market, but excluded short-term rentals. This has led to a sharp increase in these types of contracts.

"We have changed our mindset since the Casa Orsola case, everyone has seen the wolf's ears and we have entered into a new dynamic." This is how Xavier Riu, spokesperson for the Association of Residents of the Left of Eixample, presented the document Housing and speculation in the Eixample. It is a report that collects data from the district between 2016 and 2024 and exposes the problem of the Eixample with housing.