Renting through online platforms: All that glitters is not gold

The boom of visitors in Barcelona during the last years and the increased demand for accommodation has encouraged the owners to rent their houses to tourists. Thanks to online platforms such as Airbnb, owners are able to get in contact with consumers of this kind of residence. Its main advantages for visitors are the prices and the freedom to cook at home, and also to see the opinions of other guests about the house and the owners.

The Role of the Real Estate Agent

While it is true that online platforms are increasingly popular tools, we cannot forget that they may be related to some contingences, such as the time of arrival of tenants, the demand for more nights without room availability, or the lack of quality control. Owners have some services for these issues, such as insurance, but they are obligated to declare the profits as income the following year.

Real Estate agents offer a professional service to owners and guests and, in addition, they allow us to forget about dealing with clients. They will also be responsible for fixing possible problems arising from the use of housing, and will guide us conveniently to declare the income.

The Airbnb Boom

Despite the elimination of thousands of illegal ads from the platform, the number of rentals done though Airbnb has not stopped growing. Airbnb was born 10 years ago to accommodate people who are looking for a bed and breakfast. It is a sharing economy initiative that has grown to flood the center of our cities with tourist apartments.

Barcelona and its metropolitan area is the district with the highest presence of accommodation in Spain on this platform. Currently there are more than 19,000 accommodations, representing 1 tourist apartment on Airbnb for every 82 residents in the city.