THE Junta de Andalucía has begun the withdrawal of some 2,600 tourist flat licenses following a series of protests by locals in Spain.
The regional government is making the move after carrying out a series of inspections to detect illegal holiday apartments last year. The campaign focused on the biggest tourism hotspots, including Sevilla, Malaga, Cadiz, Granada and Jerez.
According to Diario de Sevilla, the Junta has begun withdrawing licenses to operate as holiday rentals from 2,600 properties, most of them in Malaga, Sevilla and Cadiz. It means the number of license cancellations have increased by 155 since the move was announced last July, when the number stood at 2,445.
Once a tourist flat has lost its license to operate as such, it can no longer use platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com to take reservations. To register a tourist home in Andalucía, the owners must register the property on the regional registry by signing a declaration form.
However they must make sure they are following the rules and regulations, which may differ depending on the city or resort in which they are operating. In Málaga, for example, new rules dictate that any further tourist flat must have a separate building entrance to full-time residents.
The city has also placed a three-year ban on any new tourist flats, which is in effect across all of its 42 districts. Elsewhere in Spain, Alicante City Council announced in December that it will not grant new licences for tourist flats for up to two years.
Councillors voted overwhelmingly for the moratorium with just two abstentions and one against. Alicante’s Urban Planning councillor, RocIo Gomez, said the period would be used to review all the laws over tourist lets and ‘purify all those homes that do not comply with the regulations’.
Madrid city council has also introduced new regulations to restrict the spread of tourist flats in the historic centre. The ‘Plan Reside’ aims to manage tourist rentals in central Madrid, prioritising the preservation of residential spaces.
Under this plan, short-term tourist apartments (VUTs) will no longer be permitted within residential buildings. This restriction extends to any ground-floor units and bans the conversion of commercial properties into tourist rentals.
Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida outlined the plan’s threefold goal: “To address the depopulation of the city centre, expand residential availability, regulate tourist accommodations, and enhance harmony between residents and visitors.”
According to the new guidelines, VUTs will only be allowed within entire buildings dedicated solely to tourist accommodation in the historic centre. Existing licensed rentals can continue to operate, but residents can look forward to fewer disruptions from short-term visitors.
However, buildings not designated as residential can still be converted for tourism purposes without restriction, such as commercial buildings or hotels, as these do not impact housing supply, according to the council.
Source: The Olive Press. Photography: Pixabay.
