Barcelona moves to raise property tax on tourist flats by up to 150%, scaled by licences held

On 15 October 2026, Barcelona's council provisionally approved a property-tax (IBI) surcharge on tourist flats: 50 percent for owners with one licence, 100 percent for two or three, and 150 percent for four or more. About 6,000 of the city's roughly 10,600 tourist flats fall in the top tier. The city estimates revenue of €7 million to €8 million. A final vote is due in December, and the surcharge would first be payable at the end of 2027.

Scaling a local tax to the number of licences an owner holds targets professional operators hardest, a design other cities can adopt short of a ban. The surcharge relies on a national housing decree-law, Decree-Law 26/2026. Its legal footing is the open question.