A friend sent me this news the other day about Barcelona shutting down apartment rental licenses (at least for the short-term). That way, the mayor said, they would make the city more livable for young people. Famously, Barcelona is among the most highly sought after holiday destinations and suffers steep rent prices.
A quick look around long-term rental websites does paint a pretty stark picture, with tiny studios (under 20 square feet) going for 600-700 Euros a month. Sure, you can easily find rentals in the thousands of Euros, but to be fair, they look pretty damn fantastic, so it’s not really that surprising.
That being said… The situation isn’t that different from places like London or Dublin (both notorious for their insane rent) or from other areas of Spain in my opinion. I spent some time researching long-term rentals in the south of Spain last year and the prices I saw today aren’t that much different.
Then again, I’m not Spanish, I don’t live there, so maybe I’m wrong. Still.
What does seem jarring with this news is that by some coincidence, it targets tourism, already under heavy attack from all sides (pandemic, climate, rising taxes and costs, etc.). That, and small people, like the random Joe renting out his mum’s flat to make some extra cash. As with all major crises, it is your responsibility, Joe, to save the world. Just once, I’d like it to be the government’s job. I mean, since you can ban short-term rentals, I’m guessing you can also regulate and limit prices.
I’m no government official, but I should imagine you have options. Like set a high limit saying if you’re renting long-term, monthly rent can’t go over so-and-so. Hell, you could even limit short-term rental prices, using the same logic. I mean, it’s not like I’m picking out my holiday rental off the street outside the port. It’s not a dark chaotic market. I’m doing it through Airbnb, a simple aggregation of people offering short-term rentals that ought to be fairly easy to control.
When I suggested to my friend that the real goal here wasn’t so much young people enjoying decent rent (when is it ever?), but limiting tourism, she was shocked. Why would they do that.
Uhm… the same reason for lockdowns and 15-minute cities? So they can limit your freedom?
After everything, the general population is filled by this pervasive (almost obscene) notion that the government wouldn’t harm them for no good reason.
a. yes, they would
b. it is for good reason. It’s just that the ‘good’ is subjective and never from our perspective. That’s another modern folly, I think, to presume the ‘bad’ actors in politics are evil maniacs following no logic. It’s understandable. I mean, I’d rather have a Caligula that the good guys can then plot against and topple than an entire class of cold, calculated, very powerful enemies of the people.
It seems like a very dangerous assumption to me, that the government has your best interest at heart. Based on what? Precedent? Where? Because that’s what they told you when you were a kid? They told you about the Tooth Fairy, too, and I don’t see you grumbling about that.
As an avid traveler, I’ve tried to hold on to the hope that they’re not trying to limit tourism and free movement as much as I could, in my heart of hearts. But it doesn’t seem possible anymore. If, like me, travel has an important place in your life, I’d suggest you do it as much as you possibly can in the next few years. Don’t keep putting it off, saying maybe next year. ‘Cause maybe they’ll start playing the do-gooder then and telling you you can’t go more than ten streets past your house.
It might be to save the planet. Or the young people of Barcelona looking for rent. Or for the next ‘deadly’ virus. Really, it’s gonna be because this is what they’ve always been doing. It’s only shocking to you because you had your rose-tinted glasses on before.
If this reads depressing, I’m sorry. It’s not meant to be. There’s a message of hope in their efforts to limit our freedoms, in that they still consider it worth an effort. Which means our freedoms mean something. Which means we have power. Some, at least. We should find hope and resilience in that.
Personally, I’m treating it as a reminder. That I’ve been so grateful to have my basic freedom back after lockdown that I’ve fallen in that oh-so-tempting fawning. Enjoying my freedom is all good and well, but right now, I’m asking myself
How will I protect my freedoms, when the next blow comes? And what lifestyle, what path is best for protecting those freedoms when the next disaster strikes?
I’m 25. It’s all good and well seeing my share of the world right now and enjoying everything Paradise has to offer. But it is still, by all accounts, a long life ahead of me. And I don’t think I’ll be able to, at 28 or 29, say okay I’ve had my share of freedom, you can have it now.
So what next?
