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Date Published: 25/07/2024

Alicante bans the use of key boxes in tourist rentals

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Landlords in Alicante’s capital will also have to provide a meet and greet service for guests

Alicante bans the use of key boxes in tourist rentals

The local council in Alicante city is preparing a host of new rules to regulate tourist accommodation that aim not only to put an end to unlicenced rentals, but which will also improve security, particularly when short-term lets are located in residential buildings.

One of the biggest changes is an upcoming ban on key boxes on the front of buildings and in public spaces. These automatic mini-safes are widely used to store keys when a landlord can’t be there to welcome guests. Instead, the keys are left in the lock box and the arriving tourists are provided with the code.

But, according to local Minister for Tourism Nuria Montes, these key boxes are a glaring advertisement for burglars that the property is a rental, increasing the chances of break-ins.

Going forward, all legitimate holiday lets will be required to have a dedicated ‘reception service’. This doesn’t necessarily mean a specific reception space, but rather owners themselves or a representative must provide a meet and greet service to arriving tourists. They’ll be responsible for checking the holidaymaker’s documentation to ensure “he is who he says he is.”

Along these lines, the council also plans to enforce some existing rules that are rarely followed, including the requirement to notify the National Police and Guardia Civil about all guests over the age of 16. This is already law, but from now on, landlords that fail to comply could be charged with a criminal offence.

The use of butane cylinders in short-term rentals will also be prohibited in order to prevent any possible accidents.

The council hopes that these measures will cut down on the proliferation of illegal tourist accommodation in Alicante.

“We are not going to have compassion or mercy towards illegal supply, we want to put things in order and to put an end to the feeling of citizens that they are being expelled from their neighbourhoods,” stressed the councillor.

This new legislation is in addition to some other changes previously announced, such as the fact that local councils will be able to limit new licences in their municipalities and neighbourhoods if they feel there is already a glut of holiday homes on the market.

In any case, Montes has also criticised those who point to tourist apartments as being responsible for “all the evils”, pointing out that, in the case of the province of Alicante, they barely represent 2.8% of the total property stock.

Also of interest: UK tourist collapses and dies while waiting for a flight home from Spain

Image: Booking.com

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