The Spanish Housing Crisis – Why Landlords Are Responsible

Mia Bladon

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As a child, there was nothing quite as exciting as jetting off to Spain for our family holiday each year.

I can still recall the welcoming embrace of the warm Spanish air hitting my face as I eagerly disembarked from the aeroplane, clutching my mum, dad or brother’s hand. As soon as we’d collected our luggage from the airport, we were ready to take our taxi to a beautiful hotel or holiday apartment. We spent the next fortnight there, building endless sandcastles on the beach, splashing around in swimming pools and dancing the night away at lively family discos.

So why is the average British holidaymaker the one to blame for the housing crisis that has emerged in Spain, leaving locals frustrated and helpless at the lack of affordable options? 

Of course, there’ll always be tourists who take advantage of short-term rentals offered by greedy landlords, as well as wealthier holidaymakers eager to own their own villa underneath the Spanish sun. But I believe that, whether you are a British tourist or a Spanish local, you should be redirecting your attention to the landlords themselves. They are the root of the housing crisis problem that locals have been subjected to.

Anger Simmers Among Spanish Locals

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Barcelona’s mayor, Jaume Collboni, announced a plan in June to phase out all short-term rental leases by 2028, an unexpectedly drastic move by the authorities who seek to rein in soaring housing costs and make the city liveable for its permanent residents. #spainnews #barcelonatiktok #overtourism #protest

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Earlier in the summer, it was reported that police had to step in to protect British holidaymakers after angry Spaniards shot at dining tourists with water guns, and taped off entrances to popular hotels.

Spanish locals have also expressed their frustration with overtourism through graffiti reading: ‘This used to be my home’ and ‘stinking of tourist’.”

It would be inaccurate to say British tourists have not contributed to the Spanish housing crisis. Wealthy holidaymakers from Britain unfairly take advantage of the tempting offerings of avaricious landlords at the expense of young locals attempting to get a foot on the housing ladder.

However, despite the rising anger and tension of Spaniards towards British holidaymakers, it is these tourists in particular that contribute so much to the economy of the country. The Olive Press even reports that British tourists contributed 11.68 billion Euros to the economy of Spain and its islands in May this year alone.

According to The Olive Press, the average British tourist now spends 1,263 Euros during their holiday in Spain.

So, British holidaymakers aren’t entirely to blame. The root cause of the housing crisis definitely stems from greed. But, as we often do, we’re placing it all on the easy target, instead of those who are actually to blame.

Why Landlords Are To Blame

When British tourism contributes an eye-watering amount of money to the Spanish economy, alongside opening up jobs for locals, we need to recognise that the benefits of tourists in Spain extend beyond a leisurely summer break for the holidaymakers themselves. This means that we need to redirect our attention to the behaviours of Spanish landlords.

Short-term rentals allow landlords to evade housing laws. This has led to an increase in rents in Barcelona by almost 70 per cent within the past decade. Housing prices also increased by almost 40 per cent.

With this in mind, the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, has vowed to ban tourist rentals in the city by 2028.

As tourists, we should be conscious of our support for websites promoting short-term rentals, however indirect our support may be. For instance, encouraging friends and family members to book through websites such as AirBnB.com and Booking.com exacerbates the Spanish housing crisis, even if you’re not the one holidaying in Barcelona or Madrid yourself.

However, it is money-hungry landlords that ultimately benefit from short-term rentals the most. Landlords are at the root of the housing crisis in Spain. They are the ones taking advantage of both the tourists in search of a place to spend their holiday as well as the housing laws in their own city.

It is because of them that locals struggle to find affordable housing.

What Does It Mean To Be A ‘Conscious Tourist’?

It has recently been reported that the Spanish government is intending to crack-down on short-term rentals promoted by money-hungry landlords. They intend to do this by investigating lettings through popular websites AirBnB.com and Booking.com. 

It seems the Spanish government has the right idea, targeting the root cause of the Spanish housing crisis. After all, innocent British holidaymakers aren’t to blame. They should, at the very least, feel safe – no matter where they’ve chosen to holiday.

However, even if British tourists arn’t to blame for the lack of affordable housing for Spaniards, ethical tourism should still be promoted.

Some easy ways you can holiday ‘consciously’ include staying in accommodation built specifically for summer vacations, such as hotels and apartments owned by resorts. Other ways include immersing yourself in the local culture and being respectful of the customs and expected behaviours, as well as taking the time to learn simple phrases in the local language.

Ultimately, British tourists are not to blame for Spain’s housing crisis. It’s easy to want to blame problems such as these on easy, visible targets. When you’re a local left without an affordable house, anger is not only an understandable response, but an expected one. However, this anger should be redirected towards the root cause: greedy landlords. After all, they are the ones that have allowed for a 13 per cent rise in rents across Spain in the past year.

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Featured image courtesy of Erwan Hesry on Unsplash. No changes made to this image. Image license found here.