The Rules For Tourist Lets Changed In April: Here's What You Need To Know

Why is the Spanish government taking action against rentals?

Spain has been experiencing a tourism boom. Tourist numbers are at a record high and they're only increasing year on year. At the same time, Spain has been experiencing a housing crisis for local residents. This is caused by rental and housing prices hitting record highs, which is, in large part, a result of increased tourism and tourism property demand in the country.

As a result, Spain's national government has taken action against vacation rentals such as those on Airbnb.

Spain's regional governments have been taking action against tourist apartments over several years. Cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga and Seville have already made the decision not to issue any more tourist licences, or to severely restrict the rules on where tourist rentals can be operated. Now these rules have been adopted by the central Spanish government and affect the whole country.

What are the new rules?

These new rules came into force on April 3rd 2025 and affect all homeowners in every region of Spain. The main rule that you need to know about is that if a rental is located in a residential building shared with others, owners now need permission from the building's homeowners' association (comunidad de vecinos) in order to legally operate. You will also need to obtain a tourist licence, which are not being granted in every region in Spain, so if you're thinking of buying a buy-to-let property in the country, this is something to consider.

The Spanish government made this change to the Horizontal Property Law in a bid to stop the proliferation of vacation rentals. This change was ratified into law at the beginning of the year as part of Organic Law 1/2025, but because new legislation has to wait 3 months before coming into force, this law was formally introduced on April 3rd.

The new law states that you must previously obtain the express approval of the community of owners, and clarifies that the decision must be made with the support of at least three-fifths of the owners. In the vast majority of shared ownership properties, this means that it is almost impossible to gain approval for a buy-to-let property. This also gives more power to neighbourhood associations in Spain.

Neighbours also have the right to report any tourist apartments operating in their building without their consent, and those impacted could be subjected to fines.

What happens if you already own a tourist let in Spain?

The good news is that if you already own a tourist let in Spain then you won't be impacted. This new law cannot be applied retroactively, so it only impacts new tourist lets. If you already have a tourist licence and operate the short-term let legally, the association will not be able to vote against it.

The rule states that any property owner who was carrying out the activity prior to the entry into force of the law, and who had previously complied with the tourism sector regulations, may continue to carry out the activity with the conditions and deadlines established therein.

According to Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, the aim of the new rules is to stop the growing number of tourist apartments in Spain's biggest cities, freeing up much-needed property for local residents in the country.

Are you thinking of taking the plunge and moving to Spain? Want to live in Spain full time, or let an apartment in the country? If you've always dreamt of relocating but don't know where to start, then our local property experts are perfectly placed to help you find the Spanish property of your dreams. Why not get in touch today?