Britons dreaming of sun-soaked villas are facing a political chill as Spain’s housing crisis mutates into an anti-expat backlash.

From Barcelona to the Balearics, regional leaders are threatening to bar non-EU citizens from buying property, accusing foreign buyers of fuelling soaring prices and locking locals out of the market.

Barcelona Draws a Line

In Barcelona, mayor Jaume Collboni has gone furthest. He says non-EU citizens should be banned from buying second homes or holiday flats in the city — and has already pledged to scrap all 10,000 licensed tourist apartments by 2028.

“For those who buy to speculate or to rent out, the gravy train is over,” he said. Foreign-born residents now make up 26.5% of the city’s population, up from 10.8% in 2002, according to council data.

Tourists Hit in the Pocket

Holidaymakers are also in the firing line. Lawmakers in Catalonia have voted to double the tourist tax, pushing overnight charges as high as €15.

The move risks turning one of Europe’s most popular destinations into one of its most expensive, as protests against overtourism gather pace across the city.

Balearics Eye British Buyers

On the islands of Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, politicians are weighing bans on non-residents purchasing homes. Around 16% of properties in the Balearics are foreign-owned, and pressure on supply is acute.

Left-wing party Més per Mallorca says “extraordinary measures” are needed to stop housing being treated like “a game of Monopoly”.

Madrid’s Warning Shot

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has floated a 100% tax on non-EU buyers, though it has yet to clear parliament. Spain’s central bank estimates a shortfall of 500,000 homes nationwide.

Foreigners bought 97,000 properties last year — 14% of the total. Britons accounted for 7,700, about 1%.

Backlash or Scapegoating?

Critics say the numbers do not justify the rhetoric. Mark Stucklin of Spanish Property Insight argues Britons are a “tiny proportion” of buyers and that under-supply, not nationality, is the real driver.

But with rents climbing and protests mounting, the political calculus is shifting. For would-be British buyers, the message from Spain’s hotspots is stark: the welcome mat is being pulled away.

‘The gravy train is over’: Spain is turning on British expats

They need 500,000 homes for the parasites they just threw EU passports at. I will NEVER understand the left.

14 minutes ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

They need 500,000 homes for the parasites they just threw EU passports at. I will NEVER understand the left.

No passports, due to a labour shortage undocumented migrants already working in Spain can apply for a one year residence and work permit-

• Requirements: Applicants must have a clean criminal record, prove they were in Spain before December 31, 2025, and show at least five months of continuous residence.

• Benefits: The decree provides temporary, one-year renewable residence-and-work permits.

6 hours ago, bannork said:

Benefits: The decree provides temporary, one-year renewable residence-and-work permits.

Best not forget the reason they were useful to the far left government, and the reason for this policy.

Ability to vote

I saw a documentary about the locals in Ibiza who are forced to live in caravans and such like because the foreigners who want to party for 8 months a year fill up all the properties .

I'd be pissed off too if a bunch of drugged up hippies took over my village.

Don't even get me started on Benidorm. What a <deleted> show that place is.

If you want to live abroad, the least you can do is make a bit of an effort to fit in.

Not sure why the headline doesn't include other non-EU citizens who own property in Spain, eg the Swiss, Norwegians, Russians

Another country ruined by EU politicians and their lefty ideology

Thank goodness we have Trump and not some sellout lefty importing immigrants for votes

3 hours ago, EastBayRay said:

Another country ruined by EU politicians and their lefty ideology

Thank goodness we have Trump and not some sellout lefty importing immigrants for votes

Immigrants granted a one year residency and work permit have no right to vote.

The coasts are full of pennyless brits living in caravans but they spend on booze and meals providing jobs

They already have to comply with the 90 day rule ,then go home for 90 days

40 minutes ago, bannork said:

Immigrants granted a one year residency and work permit have no right to vote.

How many countries does that NOT apply to?

Not many I assume!

14 hours ago, SenorTashi said:

If you want to live abroad, the least you can do is make a bit of an effort to fit in.

Try going to Bradford or indeed any major European city and saying that🤣

You would be labelled 1)bigotted 2) racist 3) get arrested and charged with hate speech 4) get a fast tracked trial and far more severe sentencing than child rapists

Cheers lefties

13 minutes ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Try going to Bradford or indeed any major European city and saying that🤣

You would be labelled 1)bigotted 2) racist 3) get arrested and charged with hate speech 4) get a fast tracked trial and far more severe sentencing than child rapists

Cheers lefties

This topic is about Brits, and tourists generally, moving or living in Spain.

It's not about Bradford, ffs!

What is it about your obsession with lefties?

19 minutes ago, bannork said:

This topic is about Brits, and tourists generally, moving or living in Spain.

It's not about Bradford, ffs!

What is it about your obsession with lefties?

They have ended western civilization. They are to the civilized world what the meteor shower was to the dinosaurs. If dumb dinosaurs could have spoken they would have said to the smart ones after impact "what is your obsession with meteors"😆

2 minutes ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

They have ended western civilization. They are to the civilized world what the meteor shower was to the dinosaurs. If dumb dinosaurs could have spoken they would have said to the smart ones after impact "what is your obsession with meteors"😆

You need to see a shrink.

On 3/3/2026 at 6:32 PM, bannork said:

No passports, due to a labour shortage undocumented migrants already working in Spain can apply for a one year residence and work permit-

• Requirements: Applicants must have a clean criminal record, prove they were in Spain before December 31, 2025, and show at least five months of continuous residence.

• Benefits: The decree provides temporary, one-year renewable residence-and-work permits.

Exactly what the US should be doing.