A quick guide to restrictions on Airbnb in Spain's main cities and regions
If you’re planning on buying a property in Spain to rent out to tourists on platforms such as Airbnb, you need to think very carefully about where the property is located as many places have strict restrictions.
Spain has been grappling with a severe housing crisis, leading cities and regions to impose strict restrictions on Airbnb and other short-term rental platforms. These regulations aim to curb price increases and reduce the housing stock available for affordable living. The restrictions are particularly stringent in major tourist cities and popular islands, while rural and lesser-visited areas generally have fewer limitations.
In many urban areas, new tourist licences are restricted to shared residential buildings or compounds, requiring prior approval from three-fifths of neighboring property owners. Seville, Málaga, Cádiz, Córdoba, and Granada have all implemented regulations to limit the growth of tourist apartments in specific zones or have ended new licence authorizations altogether. In Seville, 11 neighborhoods in the historic center have had new licenses restricted due to the high proportion of short-term rental properties.
Málaga has announced a three-year ban on new tourist apartments or hotels on residential land. City councils possess the authority to limit tourist licences issued within their jurisdictions. Tourist accommodation licences must be renewed every five years, and fines for operating without a license can reach up to €400,000 or more.
In popular coastal areas like Mallorca, tourist apartments in multi-family residential buildings are prohibited, with licenses generally issued only for detached single-family homes or villas in designated areas. In the Basque Country, San Sebastián recently prohibited new licenses for tourist accommodations and hotels in stressed neighborhoods and residential areas.
In Catalonia, Barcelona has stopped issuing new licenses in central zones, with plans to revoke all existing licenses by 2028. Only entire flats can be rented, and tourist apartments cannot exceed two percent of the housing stock in each neighborhood.
In Andalusia, Alicante has set a maximum of 0.187 tourist apartments per inhabitant, currently suspended until at least January 2027. Logroño has restricted new tourist licences to ground floor apartments with independent access or when they cannot be used as habitual residences. La Coruña and Santiago de Compostela have limited new vacation rentals, with Santiago allowing only 60 days a year for first-floor apartment rentals.
Santander requires ground-floor tourist accommodations with separate entrances in recent years. Toledo has set a maximum quota of 12 percent for tourist apartments within the city.
Written by urgent.news from The Local Spain's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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