Tourexpi
Spain's
Constitutional Court on Thursday upheld a law regulating and limiting tourist
apartments in Catalonia, rejecting a challenge from the opposition Popular
Party (PP).
The
court, in a press release, said that the 2023 decree passed by the Catalan
government "does not violate" constitutional protections for private
property, local autonomy, or judicial rights. The law, introduced by the
Catalan government in 2023, aims to reduce the number of tourist apartments in
areas with housing shortages.
The
court said that "the possibility of using a property for tourism is not an
essential part of property ownership."
The
decree limits the number of tourist rental licenses to 10 per 100 residents and
requires a permit for any property used for tourism. It applies to
municipalities facing housing difficulties or where there is a high
concentration of tourist rentals, according to the ruling.
These
municipalities must update their lists as the decree eliminates perpetual
permits and requires their renewal every five years.
The
court explained that the law is needed to protect urban environments and ensure
long-term housing availability. It also clarified that municipalities' autonomy
in urban planning is important and said the law respects local decision-making,
"guaranteeing local authorities a level of intervention that is
tendentially correlated to the intensity of their interests in the matter in
question."
Image
Credit: © AA
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