In Spain, Seville City Hall Wants to Cut Off Water Supply to Illegal Tourist Rentals

The city of Seville has taken a radical measure to combat the overcrowding of tourists. It threatens to cut off the water supply to 5,000 tourist homes that do not comply with the restrictions imposed by the city council.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Overtourism is increasingly being experienced badly in the world’s major cities. In particular, because of Airbnb-type tourist apartments, accused of weighing on the real estate market or directly violating local regulations. For these latter cases, the city hall of Seville, in southern Spain, has taken a radical measure: cutting off the water supply to the nearly 5,000 pirate apartments identified.

The city council had sought to take other measures, but, she says, its legal department ruled them out. The moratorium on new tourist apartments, for example, or limiting them to 10% of the housing stock. In the latter case, it was the opposition that refused, considering that it was already too much.

“Tourism is beginning to cause problems of cohabitation with the inhabitants, especially in the historic centre.”

José Luis Sanz, Mayor of Seville

on Caneda SER radio

The mayor, José Luis Sanz, still wanted to do something. Especially since it was a campaign commitment. “Tourism is the main industry of the city of Seville. We are the third most visited city in Spain and therefore a tourist power, but I consider that there is no longer room for a single more tourist apartment. It is not a priority for the city at the moment, nor is it the tourist model that Seville is looking for.”

The water will therefore be cut off for tourists who rent despite everything, but the cuts will not happen overnight. The modus operandi will be as follows: inspection of the premises by the municipal police, order to stop tourist activity if the apartment violates the regulations. In Seville, you can only rent to visitors ground floors or first floors, no right to rent higher. After that, new visit if the orders are not respected, and finally, phone the water company to cut off the tap.

The problem of the feasibility of these sanctions remains. Initially, the city council communicated on a figure of ten inspections per week. Except that at this rate, it would take ten years to cut off the water to these 5,000 irregular accommodations. Since then, the mayor has said that he will strengthen the teams and that the pace will be much faster.

The opposition responds that this will not be enough, that it is also necessary to limit the legal offer, which also weighs on the real estate market. Seville has 9,500 tourist apartments, 23% more than last year. This corresponds to 30,000 beds, more than the hotel places in the city.