For the past two years, the residents of number 113 Enamorats Street, in Sant Martí, have lived the approaching weekend with excitement, but in reality, with anxiety. Just in front of their building, at 116 Enamorats, is a lower building with a terrace available for events. These residents have denounced that the festivities that take place there often extend from late in the afternoon until the wee hours of the morning, generating noise that disturbs those in number 113 and affects the sleep of the children. Other residents of different buildings share their concern, noting that the noise is more intense on the upper floors and less perceptible from the street.
Concern about the weekend has led some to check the website at the beginning of the week to find out the availability of the terrace on the coming Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. If it is busy, they opt to leave Barcelona to avoid the hustle and bustle. Contrarily, the owner of the terrace, who keeps his identity secret, claims that there have been few recent festivities and that they end at 22:00, without having received noise fines, except for one occasion in 2019. He assures that he is authorized to rent the terrace according to the contract with the owner.
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The onset of problems occurred after the relaxation of pandemic restrictions. The tenant defends that he started renting the terrace four years ago, while the event space rental website, HolaPlace, shows 51 events on his terrace, but neighbors claim that the frequency is higher.
The trigger for the conflict dates back to the Sant Joan festival in 2021, when a party with loud music and lots of people went on until the early hours of the morning. According to the residents, the apartment below the terrace is rented as tourist accommodation, but the tenant denies this, stating that he resides there. It also disagrees as to the duration of the festivities, despite the fact that the website establishes a closing time of 22:00.
Concerned, the neighbors consulted the Municipal Archives of Sant Martí, but found no activity license related to number 116. However, the tenant claims that it is not violating any regulations and that there is no regulation for the rental of this space. The HolaPlace platform indicates that the complaints should be for another reason, not for the rental itself.
The neighbors filed complaints at the Citizen Attention Office (OAC) of Sant Martí about the noise from the terrace. However, the complaint was filed upon discovery of another complaint for illegal use of the property. In July, the building manager filed a new complaint requesting an inspection at 116.
The municipal intervention is pending due to the fact that those responsible are on vacation. The case has also reached the Síndic de Greuges of Barcelona, and a decision is expected after the rest period.
The tenant argues that he is not in breach of any regulations and that the income from the rent is not high and is intended to supplement his disability pension. Over the years, he has received visits from the Guardia Urbana, but was only fined once.
In short, the conflict pits neighbors concerned about the noise of the parties against the tenant who claims to have the right to organize them to cover expenses.
