According to the new rules the creation of new “holiday apartments” will be prohibited in 43 districts Malagawhere over 8 percent of all premises are rented on a short-term basis.
Spain: Malaga joins other cities. No more short-term rentals
The city's designated regions include the old town, La Merced, where Pablo Picasso was born, and Playa del Palo, a traditional coastal district just east of the tourist-packed center.
The purpose of the new regulation is encouraging tourists to rent apartments “in districts with less tourist pressure and blocking rentals in those where there are more places to stay for tourists,” we read in a statement from the city hall.
As the authorities of Malaga add, in a city inhabited by approximately 586,000 people are registered nearly 12 thousand so-called holiday apartmentsof which approximately 60 percent are offered on online platforms. Moreover, according to a study conducted by local authorities short-term rentals account for 65 percent complete accommodation of tourists in the center of Malaga.
Spain is fighting against renting apartments by tourists
Malaga joins other Spanish cities that have already cracked down on the rental of holiday apartments. Residents associate the popularity of short-term rentals with… rising rents and a lack of affordable housing.
Barcelona has already announced that by 2028 it will introduce a ban on renting all holiday apartments. On the other hand Madrid, Valencia i Canary Islandsfollowing complaints from residents being forced out of the housing market, tightened the rules on short-term rentals.
In recent months throughout Spain have intensified anti-tourism protests. It is the second country on the Iberian Peninsula France the most visited country in the world.
Meanwhile, next door Portugal the opposite solution was chosen. The new regulations state that housing communities will no longer decide about renting apartments to tourists, as the Portuguese government has prevented them from blocking rentals in the buildings they manage. This applies to both hostels and private apartments. Until now, apartment owners could prevent short-term rentals – a majority of their votes was enough, for example in a block of flats. Now visitors to Portugal will have more room for maneuver in choosing the accommodation that suits them.