More than 2,200 people in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and over 600 in Mataró are officially registered as living in commercial premises not urbanistically approved for housing, according to municipal data obtained by EL PERIÓDICO. In L'Hospitalet, the number of such premises rose from 1,324 in 2020 to 2,286 in 2025, nearly doubling in five years. Mataró recorded 662 premises with residents in 2025, up from 538 five years earlier.

The phenomenon reflects growing pressure from the housing crisis, with soaring prices and limited supply pushing low-income families into non-residential spaces. While Barcelona city does not provide data, citing that its population register cannot distinguish between residential and commercial addresses, other municipalities in the metropolitan area are seeing significant increases. Sabadell reported 445 premises with residents in 2025, up from 395 in 2021. Viladecans saw a rise from three in 2023 to 22 in 2025.

Local councils, including L'Hospitalet, stress the importance of accurate population registers to plan public services and tax contributions. "The 'snapshot' of the register must be as updated as possible to be able to dimension quality public services for citizens who must also contribute through their taxes," municipal sources said.

Policy Shifts and Urban Pressures

The trend is linked to evolving policies on property conversion. While Barcelona currently prohibits converting commercial premises into housing, other municipalities have relaxed regulations. In Gavà, conversion is permitted on certain streets. In Mataró, a proposal by Junts and supported by PSC, Comuns, and PP has allowed for increased residential conversions to address housing shortages, a move long advocated by the real estate sector.

Officials in Mataró acknowledge a concentration of long-closed premises in areas such as La Riera, Barcelona and Sant Josep streets, and Plaça de les Tereses and Plaça de Cuba, which are now being repurposed.

About eight years ago, we already warned that this problem was starting to appear. Since then, it has grown exponentially.

Jofre Rojas, president of the Collblanc-Torrassa Neighborhood Association, highlighted worsening overcrowding and marginalisation in northern L'Hospitalet, where population growth has outpaced infrastructure and housing availability. "Governments talk, but nothing is done. There has been a bad housing policy," he said.

Vulnerable Populations at Risk

Advocacy groups warn that official figures underrepresent the true scale. Beatriz Cantero, president of Mujeres Pa’lante, which supports migrant women, said families are increasingly forced to share single rooms due to cost and proximity to work. "Now it's impossible" to find housing in Collblanc, she said, noting displacement from Barcelona has driven up prices in L'Hospitalet.

Sofía Jiménez, also from Mujeres Pa’lante, raised concerns about children left alone in unsafe conditions while parents work. Some children are not enrolled in school because their families are not registered, leading to prolonged isolation and exposure to strangers.

The organisation has seen improvements in L'Hospitalet after years of difficulty securing registrations for vulnerable residents, crediting persistence with recent progress.

Reported by elperiodico.com, Manuel Arenas,Àlex Rebollo, El Periódico Barcelona.