Valencia bans Airbnb in most of the historic centre (Ciutat Vella) while the issuing of new short-term rental permits in the rest of the city remains on hold.
This decision by the Urban Planning Commission, supported by all municipal factions, is aimed at preserving the residential character of the old town area.
“We want Ciutat Vella to be a neighbourhood with local residents and therefore no tourist apartments will be allowed,” explained Urban Planning Councillor Juan Giner.
Stop new Airbnb licences in almost all of Valencia
As Valencia bans Airbnb in the old town, the city council also approved a one-year moratorium on tourist apartment permits for the rest of the city, excluding Cabanyal. Cabanyal, like Ciutat Vella, has its own regulations and sets a limit of 10% tourist housing per block.
In several areas of the city there is a high saturation of tourist housing, with the ratio reaching up to 50.3 tourist homes per one hundred inhabitants per neighbourhood.
Short-term rentals will only be allowed in buildings used exclusively for this purpose in San Francesc and parts of Xerea. Existing tourist residences with appropriate permits may continue to operate, but no new tourist residences will be allowed in residential buildings.
In addition, the licences of tourist apartments will not be renewed.
It’s a strong statement to say Valencia bans Airbnb, but before it becomes reality the new regulation must go through a plenary session and receive approval from the Ministry of Culture and Sports. It also terminates a previous plan that allowed the rental of holiday homes for 60 days a year. The current amendment completely closes the door on tourist houses.
“Quality of life for residents”
“The proposal aims to guarantee better quality of life for residents, preserve the heritage values of the historic centre and protect traditional commerce,” Giner said.
Short-term rental apartment associations, such as Viutur and Avaec, opposed the change and are appealing the decision. They argue that if Valencia bans Airbnb, then the new regulations only tighten the criteria for tourist accommodation, while allowing other tertiary activities such as hotels and offices to remain.
Reports from the Presidency of the Sustainable Economic Model of Valencia and the Environment (Mesval) show that tourist apartments have had a significant impact on rental prices in Ciutat Vella, which have increased three times more than in the rest of the city.
The Valencia Historic Centre Management Service notes that Ciutat Vella, with a population of 27,983 and 19,317 houses, has a large number of short-term rental houses listed on platforms such as Booking and Airbnb .
With this decision, as stated, the Valencia City Council aims to balance the needs of tourism and housing, ensuring a better quality of life for its residents in the historic centre.
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