As there is a lot of confusion surrounding this topic, I decided to publish a short post to (hopefully) shed some light on it. If you want to delve into more detail, just follow the blue links supplied below that will lead you down a rabbit hole.
Due to ongoing housing challenges, which cripple supply, the Spanish government is waging war against all illegal or non-registered tourist rentals (holiday homes). To that end, it has enacted several new laws in 2025 and created a new short-term tourism registry this year (Ventanilla Única Digital de Arrendamientos).
Additionally, Community of Owners in Spain may now decide if a property owner is allowed, or not, to apply for a Tourism Licence (communities may now outright ban holiday rentals as of the 3rd of April 2025). If you are buying property in Spain, you should ensure your community of owners has not banned holiday rentals, as this affects the sales price of a unit and resale potential.
Excluded properties
The following article applies only to holiday rentals (alquileres vacacionales, in Spanish) and seasonal lets (alquiler de temporada, in Spanish. Autonomous regions in Spain have devolved competency to rule on these rentals. Each region in Spain has its own set of laws dealing with holiday rentals.
Long-term rentals (alquiler de larga duración, in Spanish) are excluded from this article. A different set of laws applies to long-term landlords. They are ruled by a national law (LAU). If you are a long-term landlord, please disregard the whole article; it does not apply to you.
Holiday home requirements
If you offer your Spanish property as a holiday rental, you need to have attained both:
- A regional Tourism Licence, AND
- An NRA code.
Your community of owners must now give express permission BEFORE you apply for a Tourism Licence. However, as an exception to this general rule, if you attained a Tourism Licence before the 03-04-25 your community has no sway over it.
Seasonal rentals requirement
If you offer your Spanish property as a seasonal rental, you need to have attained:
For the avoidance of doubt, seasonal lets do not require a Tourism Licence, buy they do need an NRA code to be included in the new short-term rental registry (Ventanilla Única Digital de Arrendamientos, or VUDA).
As a gentle reminder, seasonal lets have a limited use:
- accommodation required for work reasons, or
- a student let, or
- medical reasons, or
- looking to buy property
Who needs to register in Spain’s new short-term rental registry (VUDA)?
- tourist rentals (holiday homes)
- seasonal lets
- individual rooms rented short-term
All three above require an NRA code. To put it simply, the NRA code is the code assigned to your property on registering with the VUDA.
If you offer a property in Spain using property platforms which enable online bookings and payments (such as AirBnb, Booking, Vrbo, etc), you must register. Idealista is not one of them.
Fines
If you grab a car and drive around without a driving licence, and get caught, you will be fined. By the same token, holiday home landlords in Spain require a Tourism Licence and an NRA code to rent legally.
As a friendly reminder, please be advised you cannot legally rent out your property in Spain (as a holiday home) until you regularise your situation with your regional Tourism Authority.
If you offer your Spanish property as a holiday home – without a Tourism Licence and/or without an NRA code – your regional Tourism Authority is empowered to levy large fines that range from €3,000 to €150,000. In the most severe cases (repeat offenders), this fine can be up to €600,000. In some regions of Spain (i.e. Catalonia), fines are close to €1mn.
If unpaid, these fines will be placed as a legal charge against your Spanish property, which may affect, or even compromise, your ability to sell the property. In the worst cases, it may lead to properties being impounded and sold off in a public auction.
Other sanctions
In addition to the above fines, regional Tourism Authorities may also:
- revoke a Tourism Licence
- ban a property from being rented out (as a holiday home) for a given period of time
- listings may be removed by online platforms
- suspend your ability to legally rent online
Conclusion
We strongly advise all holiday home landlords NOT to rent out property before they have the approval of their regional Tourism Authority.
Services LNA law firm can help you with:
- Apply for a Tourism Licence (only Andalusia)
- Apply for an NRA rental code (short-term lets/holiday homes/seasonal lets)
- Holiday Rental Accounting Service (HRAS)
At LNA, our friendly team can assist you in buying (or selling) your property anywhere in Spain. We can also get you any residence visa. Give us a call!
At Larrain Nesbitt Abogados (LNA) we have over 22 years of experience specialising in property conveyance and taxation all over Spain. We also assist clients with immigration & residency visas, and inheritance procedures (probate). You can contact us by email at info@larrainnesbitt.com, by telephone on our UK line (+44) 0754 3838 218, or Spanish line (+34) 952 19 22 88, or by completing our contact form.
Please note the information provided in this article is of general interest only and is not to be construed or intended as substitute for professional legal advice. This article may be posted freely in websites or other social media so long as the author is duly credited. Plagiarising, whether in whole or in part, this article without crediting the author may result in criminal prosecution. Ní neart go cur le chéile. VOV.
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