Girona exposes 50 illegal tourist apartments since January

The northern city of Girona has exposed 50 new illegal tourist apartments since the start of the year.

Local authorities believe that these sites could be operating without a license, or even using a fake identification number or one from a neighboring municipality.

The city council will now file a complaint with the Catalan government to investigate these sites. If it is confirmed that they are illegally operating, they can be fined.

All apartments were found with the government's tool Talk&Code, which tracks different housing advertisements across several online platforms.

The tool double-checks the information provided by the online platform and the one registered in city councils or the Catalan government to ensure that the advertisement is legit.

Between January and June, local authorities had already found 15 apartments that allegedly operated outside of the legislation. Between July and October, they have counted 35 more, a total of 50 apartments during the first 10 months of the year. In 2024, Girona authorities found 55 illegal tourist apartments.

Sergi Font, Girona's councilor for Urban Area, said on Monday that this kind of apartment "had to be solved for those nearby residents who suffer the consequences of illegal tourist apartments, but also for those apartment owners who obey the rules. "

One significant challenge the city council is facing is finding the actual address of the tourist apartment, as many ads do not offer a specific site. One team member is focused on getting as much information as possible using available photos.

Girona has been managing an increase in the number of visitors with several measures, including limiting tourist accommodations. During the summer of 2025, the city council announced that Waze and Google Maps would not suggest crossing through the city center so tourists would not clog the area.

The city will now also count the number of tourists and their route using a new tracking system. Local authorities implemented a sensor network that will count the number of visitors around the Barri Vell and map their routes across the city using mobile devices. In total, nine devices, using mobile phone signals, can count whether those walking around are Girona locals or visitors.