The mayor of the popular Spanish city of Seville is taking tough measures against short-term rentals, causing frustration among locals. He is taking targeted action against landlords who rent out apartments illegally as the dispute over overtourism intensifies.

The mayor’s office of the southern Spanish city announced this week that it is examining all holiday apartments in the city.

They plan to ask the local state water utility, Emasesa, to cut off water supplies to the illegally rented properties if they continue to rent them out.

So far, the review has identified 715 apartments that do not comply with the regulations that will apply from 2022.

These regulations require that vacation homes located above the first floor must have a separate entrance, according to the mayor’s office.

Previously, tourism had increased sharply in recent years and the increasing number of holiday rentals had led to widespread protests across Spain. Locals complained that they were being charged too high prices and being priced out of the rental market.

In hotspots like Seville, local authorities are cracking down on illegal listings and feverishly looking for ways to curb the proliferation of short-term rentals on platforms like Airbnb.

The mayor’s office estimates that between 5,000 and 7,000 holiday rentals in Seville are operating illegally, while another 8,000 to 9,000 are compliant, the source said.

A bill currently being passed by Seville’s parliament proposes to ban further holiday rental licenses in the old town and the colorful Triana district across the river.

Elsewhere in Spain, thousands of locals have taken to the streets in popular cities in recent months to protest against overtourism.

In Barcelona, ​​the mayor said the city could not keep up with the unstoppable increase in tourist numbers and warned that without regulation, the city risks turning into a “theme park” without locals.

To counteract skyrocketing rental prices and preserve residents’ quality of life, Barcelona has committed to closing all short-term rentals by 2028.

The city’s mayor, Jaume Collboni, said: “If you have a 300-seat theater, you cannot sell 500 (tickets) even if there are 200 people queuing. Everything has its limits. Tourism must serve the city’s model, not the other way around. That’s what we do in Barcelona.”