# Banning tourist rental apartments



## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Good lord, this government is nuts: 
Está avisado: su casa no es un hotel | Sociedad | EL PAÍS

"You are advised: Your house is not a hotel."

This will affect a *huge* number of people in my town who earn up to 1,000€ a month in the summer months for renting their apartments. A lot of the town's economy depends on the tourists who rent peoples apartments. This could get interesting...


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

elenetxu said:


> Good lord, this government is nuts:
> Está avisado: su casa no es un hotel | Sociedad | EL PAÍS
> 
> "You are advised: Your house is not a hotel."
> ...


I can see a certain point to this in that such properties are unregulated and could harbour all sorts of hazards for the unwary tourist and that is part of the official line. The unofficial line is that hotels are partly empty and losing money to "illegal" lettings. Guess who has more clout with the government?


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

baldilocks said:


> I can see a certain point to this in that such properties are unregulated and could harbour all sorts of hazards for the unwary tourist and that is part of the official line. The unofficial line is that hotels are partly empty and losing money to "illegal" lettings. Guess who has more clout with the government?


Certainly not Patxi and Paco up here, just looking to rent their apartments out to vacationers. 

I understand that it's important to regulate the tax and health issues. However, every holiday home I've seen in this town have been great. There's not so many hotels here, either. I can't imagine what we'd lose if they shut down holiday homes.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

elenetxu said:


> Certainly not Patxi and Paco up here, just looking to rent their apartments out to vacationers.
> 
> I understand that it's important to regulate the tax and health issues. However, every holiday home I've seen in this town have been great. There's not so many hotels here, either. I can't imagine what we'd lose if they shut down holiday homes.


We usually rent a "cottage"/ casita /apartment that allows pets for our holiday although if we are only there for a few days/weekend, a hotel that allows pets is OK


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

If an apartment or property is let out by a letting agency then there should be no problem. The article in question relates to unregulated properties


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Aron said:


> If an apartment or property is let out by a letting agency then there should be no problem. The article in question relates to unregulated properties


yes, in theory - as long as the agency is checking them out properly 

there for sure aren't enough hotel rooms in my town for the number of tourists who descend all year, let alone just in the summer

I also know many many people who let their homes out in the summer - totally unregistered & 'under the table'.........


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Another ill-thought-out scheme that won't get implemented because it's impractical and unenforceable.


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## Calas felices (Nov 29, 2007)

If the letting agency is regulating? - who regulates the regulator? What qualifications or licenses do you need to do this?


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Now imagine you live in an apartment complex. The place across the hall is rented to a group of drunk kids. Middle of the night if you're lucky they're playing enough music to wake the dead. All the while you're trying to get some sleep before work.

Since when has it been acceptable to run businesses out of residential areas?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Calas felices said:


> If the letting agency is regulating? - who regulates the regulator? What qualifications or licenses do you need to do this?


I know someone who runs a holiday letting agency - they are registered with the Valencian tourist board

I don't know what (if any) checks they have to carry out on the properties they represent

she did say a few days ago that they had heard nothing from the Tourist Board about these new rules though - but perhaps that's because she _is _registered so it won't affect her or her company??


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## fessex (Apr 28, 2013)

When is this supposed to go into effect? My parents have been considering buying an apartment in Spain and renting it out until they retire when they can use it themselves.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

fessex said:


> When is this supposed to go into effect? My parents have been considering buying an apartment in Spain and renting it out until they retire when they can use it themselves.


not sure when it's happening - but it seems that as long as they legally register it there wouldn't be a problem


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> I can see a certain point to this in that such properties are unregulated and could harbour all sorts of hazards for the unwary tourist and that is part of the official line. The unofficial line is that hotels are partly empty and losing money to "illegal" lettings. Guess who has more clout with the government?


If it's about safety - why are only short term lets involved? Safety affects long term lets as well.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> Another ill-thought-out scheme that won't get implemented because it's impractical and unenforceable.


Easily enforceable. For example in a village like ours where there are dozens of short term lets; find a holiday let online, book a weeks holiday, see if it's all official and if not fine the owner 20,000 Euros. Publicise heavily in the local press. Voila - no-one would dare do it again.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

jimenato said:


> If it's about safety - why are only short term lets involved? Safety affects long term lets as well.


See, I don't buy that line. Especially since it's coming from the hoteliers association.


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## maxd (Mar 22, 2009)

Yes, this is hotel lobby stuff. I have been in this biz since 2003 and they have always been out to destroy us.

We get our licenses though, there are many who do not and the authorities occasionally come and hassle us. We tell them it is not the regulated guys that you should be giving issues to but the ones who do not register. As with anything, once the government know who you are you then you are an easy target.

My advice to anyone who just has a flat here or there is just ignore this piece of legislation, they do not have the resources to enforce it properly.


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## Gobeyond60 (Sep 27, 2012)

*Tax evasion?*



Aron said:


> If an apartment or property is let out by a letting agency then there should be no problem. The article in question relates to unregulated properties


Murcia Region are pushing this through and front page in [email protected] free paper today. Seems as if main issue is tax evasion!?


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## Beachbumbler (Nov 6, 2011)

They don't want to BAN them - they just want them to be licensed and registered. 

I work for a small family concern, with a campsite and a few holiday apartments. How can we compete with the man up the stree twho just wants to cover his mortgage? They have no licence, no wages, no social security to pay - and no taxes!

I think all the hotels and apartment companies want is a level playing field.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

In many ways it makes sense to have regulated properties. In theory the client would be more protected as the properties will have to fulfil basic requirements regarding health and safety (dirty words to many people from the UK as I believe that many think things have gone to far in this sense) and also in areas such as reimbursement if the client is not satified. What beachbumbler says makes sense from his point of view.
However it is true that this will possibly mean, if it's actually implemented, the end of people in small coastal owns supplementing their income with summer lets, a system which has worked well for many a year. There seems to be no half way house.

In the end of course it's just another way for the authorities to collect more money


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## doro (Aug 1, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> In the end of course it's just another way for the authorities to collect more money


THIS^^^!!

I live in south Spain, there are about 500.000 or more EMPTY houses here, I am not sure if have something to do with this.


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## puertouk (Aug 22, 2010)

elenetxu said:


> Good lord, this government is nuts:
> Está avisado: su casa no es un hotel | Sociedad | EL PAÍS
> 
> "You are advised: Your house is not a hotel."
> ...


The top and bottom of all this boils down to one thing "MONEY" The Spanish want to tax people who are renting.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Beachbumbler said:


> They don't want to BAN them - they just want them to be licensed and registered.
> 
> I work for a small family concern, with a campsite and a few holiday apartments. How can we compete with the man up the stree twho just wants to cover his mortgage? They have no licence, no wages, no social security to pay - and no taxes!
> 
> I think all the hotels and apartment companies want is a level playing field.


The problem around here is that you can't get the licence for love nor money 

We've tried and so have friends who, after 7 years of trying to get their casa rural licensed (and many 10's of thousands later), gave up and went home leaving the property empty. What a waste to everyone - the owner, the local businesses, the town hall etc. etc.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

puertouk said:


> The top and bottom of all this boils down to one thing "MONEY" The Spanish want to tax people who are renting.


and the hotels who have more clout with the Govt./PP don't want others taking their trade.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

The story seems to have developed from banning short term rentals to legalising them. Seems fair enough to me on the face of it. 

I suppose it all comes down to what is meant by 'legalising' and what it costs.


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## puertouk (Aug 22, 2010)

The trouble is, the Spanish will not give anyone the license to be able to rent apartments.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jimenato said:


> The story seems to have developed from banning short term rentals to legalising them. Seems fair enough to me on the face of it.
> 
> I suppose it all comes down to what is meant by 'legalising' and what it costs.


I was told this morning that our mayor was trying to kill the town off by banning people from letting their houses

I did my best to scotch the rumour by saying that it wasn't the case - that it's coming from Madrid, that it's still under discussion anyway & that it's not about banning - but about legalising - licences, tax etc.....

just to be sure I asked the mayor myself - his reply was that I've understood it perfectly.....


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## Sirtravelot (Jul 20, 2011)

puertouk said:


> The trouble is, the Spanish will not give anyone the license to be able to rent apartments.


Of course not. That would be too efficient and not very Spanish.


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