A new “jewel” of the Barcelona real estate market is once again setting off alarms about access to housing in the city: a 19-square-meter studio in Sarrià is advertised for 175,000 euros. According to the ad, the mini-flat “stands out for its careful design”, although its size is more reminiscent of a parking space than a decent home.
It is not the only one, a walk through the mini-flats advertised on platforms such as Idealista reveals the madness that has reached in Barcelona, with “homes” of ridiculous sizes at absolutely exorbitant prices.
9.000€ per m2: the mini-flats exceed the price per meter of Paseo de Gracia.
The apartment in the headline is in Sarrià, a historically wealthy area but which, with this ad, places the price per square meter (about 9,200€ for this 19m2 studio) at the level of prices in Paseo de Gracia, where the square meter is around 9,700€. The advertisement, obviously, reflects the goodness of the “apartment”, a studio has been renovated “brand new” that “stands out for its use of space”.
It is not the only apartment that is part of this craze. A tour of the mini-flats on Idealista reveals that the excesses are not concentrated in Sarrià. The platform advertises a 15m2 studio in Gràcia for €90,000 “ready to move into”. Also in Gràcia, an “apartment” of 12 m2. costs 65.000€ and is advertised as “a unique opportunity”.
Betevé opened this melon on July 23rd talking about an ad for an apartment of 11 m2. for 120,000 euros that Idealista has already withdrawn, in an article that explains the consequences and the illegality of advertising mini-flats without a certificate of occupancy.
The ad referred to by Betevé has already been withdrawn, but painful surprises on the platform are just a click away. In the Esquerra del Eixample, 17m2 for 99,000 euros, in the Raval a 19 m2 studio for 122,000 euros, in the Dreta del Eixample 20 m2 cost 135,000 euros… and so on and so forth.
A crude portrait of the housing crisis in Barcelona. The same Betevé article explains that these ads should not be advertised as housing, and refers to the explanations of Idealista, which points out that there is a complaint channel for these cases and that it is, unfortunately, all we Barcelonans seem to be able to aspire to in the face of these offensive attacks on the right to decent housing in the city.