Under the new rules, the construction of new “holiday apartments” will be prohibited in Malaga's 43 districts where more than 8% of all premises are rented short-term.
Spain: Malaga joins other cities. No more short-term rentals
The city's designated areas include La Merced, the old town where Pablo Picasso was born, and Playa del Palo, a traditional coastal area just east of the tourist center.
The aim of the new regulations is to encourage tourists to “rent apartments in areas where there is less tourist pressure and to discourage rentals in areas where there are more places for tourists to stay,” a city hall statement said. .
As Malaga authorities added, the city is home to around 586,000 people and of the so-called nearly 12,000 people holiday apartments, around 60% are offered on online platforms. Furthermore, according to a survey carried out by the local government, 65% of all tourist accommodation in central Malaga is short-term rental.
Spain opposes letting tourists rent apartments
Malaga joins other Spanish cities that have already cracked down on holiday apartment rentals. Residents attribute the popularity of short-term rentals to rising rents and a lack of affordable housing.
Barcelona has already announced that it will ban the rental of all holiday apartments by 2028. Meanwhile, Madrid, Valencia and the Canary Islands have tightened rules on short-term rentals following complaints from residents who have been forced out of the housing market.
Anti-tourism protests have intensified across Spain in recent months. This country on the Iberian Peninsula is the second most visited country in the world after France.
Neighboring Portugal, on the other hand, opted for the opposite solution. The new regulation stipulates that residential communities will not decide to rent out apartments to tourists, as the Portuguese government has blocked the rental of buildings managed by residential communities. This applies to both hostels and private apartments. Previously, apartment owners could block short-term rentals, for example in blocks of flats, with a majority vote. Travelers to Portugal now have more freedom of choice when choosing the accommodation that suits them.
Komorowski talks about KO voting on “Guest of Events”: Both wins/Porsat News/Porsat News
