He rental of private spaces for events or meetings has established itself as an increasingly common alternative in Spain. In fact, there are already digital platforms for individuals to offer everything from rooms to living rooms or gardens, thus allowing them to obtain extra income in a context of inflation and loss of purchasing power. However, this practice questions taxation, regulation or neighborhood coexistence.
This is the case of Ramón Porrera, a 65-year-old pensioner living in Catalonia, who rents his living room and garden by the hour to increase his income and maintain vitality after retirement. Through a digital platform, Ramón offers his house for small family celebrations or gatherings of friends, an initiative that gives him not only a “little money” for everyday expenses, but also “very good joy” when seeing how other people enjoy his house, as he says in an interview for the program ‘And Now Sonsoles’.
Rent parts of your house for events and celebrations
The experience, which began just six months ago, has been very satisfactory. “Before we did home exchanges with friends or family from the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, and when I retired I thought: why not rent it? It covers me for a garden gift or small repairs,” he explains.
Its living room, with a maximum capacity for 14 people, and the garden with a chill out area, have become the scene of special meetings, such as that of a young couple from the neighboring municipality who, on December 26, St. Stephen’s Day, celebrated the festival for the first time with their entire family in this environment.
How much do you charge to rent your living room or garden?
Ramón establishes clear rules for his guests, such as setting the maximum number of people at 14, the use of plastic plates and cleaning the space, although he claims to have not had “a single bad experience.” In addition, he points out that “they even left me a whiskey and a powder; everything collected and clean.”
Regarding the rental price, the rate ranges “between 200 and 300 euros if you rent it for between 5 and 7 hours”, adjusting to the number of people and the season. And regarding the tenant selection process, Ramón can accept or reject applications based on the profile and date, which, as he highlights, gives him a certain “control and peace of mind.”
However, the taxation of this income is one of the issues that generates the most doubts among users. “My manager manages it,” he points out, while recognizing the importance of declaring the amounts received and having specialized advice. Thus, the rise of this type of rentals, supported by digital platforms, poses new challenges in terms of regulation, taxation and neighborhood coexistence, issues on which there is still little regulatory clarity.