SHORT TERM HOLIDAY RENTAL LEGISLATION

In 2014 private holiday rentals in Spain rose by a staggering 25%. In such a boyant market, buy-to-let investors are also growing, but owners need to be made aware of new legislation that is being enforced on private holiday lettings.

It varies from region to region, most follow the lines that owners obtain a licence permit for their properties from the local town hall, and some placing certain restrictions on them, but some local authorities are prohibiting any private holiday lettings altogether.

As we countdown to the introduction of the decree for Viviendas de Uso Turistico, Available Now brings you up to date with the situation.

This was to be introduced on 1st November 2014, but we have now been informed that this has been delayed and is now scheduled for approval and publication during the first quarter of 2015. The delay in approving this decree may be due to continued pressure by the hotel industry to toughen up this regulation. The additional stipulations the hotel industry want is that a holiday rental must offer a minimum stay of 5 nights, a restriction that was passed recently in Madrid. And secondly, if you one own or more properties within a specified radius (as yet to be confirmed) they will have to registered as ‘Apartamentos Turisticos’ which would mean a completely different procedure and rigorous rules.

During the recent Spain-holiday Rental Summit guest speakers Apartsur confirmed that they would officially request these excessive stipulations when they talk to the Junta de Andalucia. We won’t know if these amendments will be included until the decree is published. At this point, any unreasonable requirements which remain, will be legally opposed on publication of the decree,A meeting will be held in Malaga with Apartsur, where holiday companies will take part in discussions on the new regulations, and we will keep you up-dated on these as soon as we have them.

Although this decree is delayed, one has been approved. The new decree regulating the operation of the Official Tourism Register de Andalucia is approved. This officially means that all holiday homes will be expected to register on the Offical Tourism Register, where once this was voluntary, all types of accommodation, including the requirement for Viviendas Turistocas de Alojamiento Rural to register.