MADRID – People want to keep partying. In Madrid, a new trend is for homeowners to rent out their homes not to tourists, but to people who organise illegal parties there.
Last week, the newspaper El Mundo wrote about the nuisance these ‘party pisos‘ cause local residents. Due to the covid measures, bars and clubs close at 9pm in the Spanish capital. A maximum of 4 people can sit inside and a maximum of 6 outside on a terrace. That’s why people look for other solutions for their entertainment. According to the residents, organisations associated with Madrid’s nightlife respond readily. They rent the houses and organise the parties.
Removing vacation rentals
Pending Madrid City Council’s plan to remove 15,000 homes from vacation rentals to add to the traditional rental market, the owners will continue to rent them out to the highest bidder. Residents told El Mundo that tourist apartments are sometimes rented to three people, but dozens later join for a party.
Neighbours of these party pisos no longer tolerate the nuisance. Moreover, they see partygoers do not comply with the security measures. They warn the police in cases of noise nuisance. As soon as the police arrive, it is quiet and agents cannot do anything. A duped local resident says: “They know they will be fined as soon as they open the door, so they don’t and then the police cannot do anything”. As soon as the officers depart, it starts all over again.
6,000 illegal parties recently
SOS Malasaña is an association that stands up for the residents of the eponymous district in the center of the city. Its spokesman, Jordi Gordon, points out that behind the parties is an organisation from Madrid’s nightlife. “It is not a private person who organises a one-off party, but people who earn from it. Flats are rented out for parties, which did not happen before,” he emphasises.
Gordon points to the fact that the Madrid municipal police have dismantled 6,000 illegal parties of this type in recent months. He estimates there are around 300,000 partygoers. SOS Malasaña wants this behaviour punished and criminalised. People who endanger the health of everyone out of greed should be prosecuted.
El Mundo writes that the Madrid police find everything, but above all young drunk or drugged people who usually do not follow the sanitary measures. They do not wear masks, do not keep their distance and smoke indoors. Furthermore, in order not to be too conspicuous, they keep windows and patio doors closed, resulting in poor ventilation.
