Do You Own A Second Home In Spain? These Are The Changes You Need To Know About In 2025

Owning a second home in Spain is a lifelong dream for many. Whether you want a bolt hole to escape to when you need to feel the sun on your skin or are looking for a second home to let as a financial investment, Spain is a great place to choose.

But if you’re already living the dream of owning a second home in Spain, then there are some changes coming into force in 2025 that you need to know about.

Here’s a full list:

The Introduction of a New Rubbish Tax

Waste disposal isn’t anyone’s favourite topic, but this time it’s important because it’s going to cost you money! Spain is introducing a new rubbish tax. This is effectively a surcharge for waste collection and reflects the cost of collecting and then disposing of waste in Spain’s towns and cities.

You might already live in an area that has a rubbish tax, so you won’t notice a change. But if you don’t all town halls will have to implement one in 2025. Plans will vary from town hall to town hall, but the rubbish tax will be implemented nationwide by April 2025.

So how will affect you? As is so often the case in Spain, this depends where you live. Some areas have said that the property owner is responsible for paying this tax. If you’re property is tenanted then in other areas, your tenants will have to pay.

For example, in Madrid this is the landlord’s responsibility.  Rules state “the person obliged to pay is the owner of the property and not the one who occupies the property and only in exceptional cases can the administration directly address the person benefiting from the service, as the payer”.

However, in Barcelona the tenant must pay. The new Law in this area states that the person who benefits from the service of collection of urban solid waste, its treatment and disposal, that is, the occupant of the home such as the tenant" is responsible for paying the tax.

Changes to Property Tax Rates

It doesn’t matter why you own a property in Spain: whether you live there full time, part time, or let out your property for a profit. You still need to pay an IBI tax bill every year. IBI stands for Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles and is the name for the Spanish property tax.

The amount of tax you’ll pay varies by region.  But it is calculated as a percentage of the cadastral value of the property, stated on the land registry records.

In 2025, the rates and amounts of IBI tax bills will change in many regions. Of the six largest cities in Spain the bill will either stay the same go up in all of them except the capital Madrid where it will decrease. Check with your local town hall to see how these changes will impact you.

Rising House Prices In Spain

Property prices in Spain have been steadily rising for months. And now market forecasts show that they’re going to continue to rise throughout 2025. This is the result of high demand and low supply. There is a real shortage of properties in Spain, particularly in in-demand coastal areas, and the construction of new properties in the region is very slow.

In fact, you may see your Spanish property investment increase by as much as 3% in 2025. This is good news for Spanish homeowners. You can read a more comprehensive article about property prices in Spain in 2025 here.

Changes to Temporary Rental Legislation

Buying a property that you can let our temporarily in Spain when you’re not using it is set to become more complicated in 2025 thanks to new rental legislation.

Earlier this year the Spanish government proposed a new low that would severely limit temporary accommodation. This law hasn’t been passed yet, but if it does pass it would mean that anyone who wanted to temporarily rent out property would have to explain why and provide a valid reason for doing so such as a course enrolment letter in the case of a student.

The law was rejected in September, but it hasn’t been abandoned. The government aims to pass it again with some minor amendments.

And if you’re already letting a property then there are also changes for you to be aware of. All landlords in Spain now have to register all temporary and tourist accommodation, as well as rooms, on a portal it would create if they wanted to have the right to advertise their properties on platforms like Idealista or Airbnb. This isn’t an Airbnb ban: it’s just an extra step because you can list your property on Airbnb or a similar website.

You will also need a tourist license to legally let your property on a short term basis. If you already have a license then that’s good news! But if you don’t have one yet then you need to know that it has become increasingly difficult to get one of these licences due to the Spanish property crisis. And areas like Barcelona, and the city centres of Seville and Malaga have stopped issuing licenses completely. So, if you’re buying a new buy to let property, think carefully about the location you choose.

Goodbye Golden Visa

Finally, Spain has made the decision to scrap their golden visa scheme. This hasn’t ended yet, but the end will come at some point in 2025 (date to be confirmed).

This is a popular visa type for second-home owners because you don’t have to stay in Spain for a set period of time: you can circumnavigate these requirements by making a significant financial investment instead. You actually only need to spend one day in Spain a year to renew the visa. It's also the only residency visa that doesn't require you to become a Spanish tax resident.

However the visa was unpopular with local Spanish people, so a political decision was made by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to scrap it. However, the legislation cancelling the bill hasn’t passed yet: in fact, it’s first time in front of the Spanish senate it was vetoed. So although it will be scrapped at some point in 2025, you can still apply for this visa right now.

Are you currently looking for your dream Spanish villa or apartment on the Costa Del Sol? The team at Right Casa real estate agency is perfectly placed to offer all of the help and support you need. Why not get in touch today?