A few inspectors and police officers from the Barcelona City Council proceed to seal one of the most prized illegal tourist accommodations of the gang known as the clandestine toilets gang. It is one of the crown jewels of this organization, a traditionally high-ceilinged apartment recently renovated and over one hundred square meters located on València street, at the height of Aribau street, in the heart of the Eixample district. All this happened a few days ago.
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The inspectors and police officers from the City Council wake the guests just before ten in the morning. Startled, wiping their sleep from their eyes, they quickly write on their phones to those who had rented them these three supposedly high-end rooms, each with its own private bathroom, through the vacation rental platform Airbnb. At this time, the night in one of these two-person rooms is around 200 euros.
The clandestine toilets gang is still far from the main networks dedicated to illegal tourist accommodation in this city, from the kings of clandestine pensions, from the Chinese who present themselves as big entrepreneurs, from the Russians who ran brothels and switched to these activities because they are much less stressful… But thanks to their tenacity, audacity, and above all shamelessness, this organization keeps expanding throughout Barcelona.
“The police are here, come please!” the tourists type. “Don’t let them in. We don’t know who they are,” respond the people managing these illegal tourist accommodations on València street. “Other guests already opened for them. They are knocking on our door, what the hell is going on?” “No one has the right to enter our apartment without our permission. We’re on our way.” “You ruined our trip, are you coming or not?”.
A landlord rented out her own apartment on Airbnb and saw that they had built a bathroom
The report that the inspectors draw up in this València street apartment indicates that the City Council had already confirmed its tourist use, that guests currently staying in one of its rooms opened the door for them, that they also found guests in the other two rooms, and that they seal this activity with stickers indicating that their removal may constitute a crime under the Penal Code.
The municipal inspectors detail that at this time the clandestine toilets gang controls at least thirteen properties in Barcelona, that in this way they have been subletting at least 34 rooms to tourists for some time now, which they usually label as suites, that today they already have fourteen sanction files totaling 840,000 euros and also 21 coercive fines whose total amount is 89,000 euros. At the beginning of the year, they only controlled about ten properties. They systematically appeal the sanctions.
Marta Martín, lawyer for the Italian owner of this València street apartment, explains that shortly after, all the seals were removed and they returned to their business. “The truth is that these people don’t care about anything.” These people are also known as the clandestine toilets gang because they have no qualms about carrying out illegal works in the apartments they rent out to sublet their rooms by the day and illegally as suites. Here, in this València street apartment, the lawyer explains, they built a bathroom so that all the rooms had one, sealed one door, and opened another so that one of the rooms also had a kitchen.
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Lawyer Martín also recounts that at the end of 2025 this Italian owner rented this apartment to some compatriots who said they needed it for their employees. They were recommended by a supposedly luxury real estate agency. But very soon the neighbors informed her that her new tenants were doing works, and after that, tourists kept coming in and out. So this owner rented one of the suites set up in her own apartment and checked all the works they had done. The gang was very upset that this owner complained to Airbnb about everything and accused her by email of harassment, intimidation, threats… and on top of that, they threatened to sue her in Italy and Spain.
Municipal inspectors detected that lately they also divide commercial spaces into rooms
Yes, without a doubt, these Italians so prone to illegal works are very bold people. They always kindly warn their guests, with lots of very endearing and affectionate emojis, that if they check in after nine at night, they will always have to charge a 20 euro surcharge in cash. Also, at least in the case of the València street apartment, they always meet them one or two blocks away, never in front of the door. Anyway, the reviews their guests leave are usually very positive.
The municipal inspectors add that they detected this gang in 2018, but in recent years they accelerated their growth. The clandestine toilets gang keeps adding properties to their offer. “Recently we detected a change in the type of spaces they rent – the municipal inspectors elaborate –. Lately, instead of apartments, they rent offices and commercial premises, probably because they have a much lower cost. And then they make the renovations they consider appropriate.”
Clearly, the members of the clandestine toilets gang have a very special fondness for Venetian stucco. It is a coating for ceilings and walls that, through the use of slaked lime, marble dust, and plaster, imitates the appearance of polished marble. In this way, at a relatively low cost, this network provides a luxurious patina to its rooms.
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Lawyer Martín also represents the owner of a commercial space located on Aurora street, in the Raval neighborhood, who reported that her tenants transformed her property into three rooms that can be rented by the day through Airbnb. Venetian stucco is present in all these spaces. “We have open files related to this property,” municipal sources add.
They already have 14 sanction files totaling 840,000 euros and 21 fines of 89,000
These details are not trivial. They allow pulling the thread and establishing relationships between the property listings. Then one can see how different hosts try to sublet the same properties. Because these organizations do not operate through fully defined pyramid structures like a traditional company. This network is made up of various people who share a couple of law firms that defend them, at least eight companies that sign the rental contracts, four or five hosts who market their rooms… And the sharpest among them are the ones who earn the most money.
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