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Date Published: 25/04/2023

ARCHIVED - Proposal to limit tourist accommodation in cities and coastal resorts across Spain

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The move would limit the number of tourist rentals to 2% of the total population in the busiest parts of Spain

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Proposal to limit tourist accommodation in cities and coastal resorts across Spain

Tourism is undoubtedly Spain’s biggest cash cow but growing demand had led to many hotspots becoming saturated with holiday rentals, while long-term residents struggle to find an apartment to let. In parts of the Balearic Islands, limitations have already been placed on foreigners acquiring scarce property, but, if a radical proposal is accepted by Congress on Thursday April 27, these restrictions could extend to all of Spain.

Left-wing party Unidas Podemos will this week submit an amendment to the housing law that would limit the number of tourist rentals on offer in the busiest and most stressed destinations, which would include major cities like Barcelona, Valencia and Malaga but also holiday favourites such as Torrevieja, Benidorm, Marbella and Mijas.

Essentially, the politicians aim to pass a law to ensure that the number of holiday apartments and villas does not exceed 2% of the number of inhabitants. This would mean, for example, that in a stressed area with 10,000 residents, no more than 200 places could be offered in tourist rental apartments.

There’s a dramatic shortage of affordable housing available for rent in Spain, which has recently prompted the government to commit to providing 50,000 rental homes at lower prices. A part of the problem is that it’s more profitable for property owners to rent to tourists short term.

By far the most affected provincial capitals are Cadiz, Granada, Malaga and Alicante, where a huge percentage of the available apartments and houses are allocated tourist lets. The most saturated areas are undoubtedly the coastal resorts. Marbella, for example, with a population of 150,725 people, has dedicated 23.2% of its property to holiday homes, and that’s without including its huge range of hotels.

The numbers become even more troubling in smaller municipalities with fewer than 50,000 registered inhabitants. The town of La Olivia in the popular seaside resort of Fuerteventura, with around 28,000 inhabitants, offers 13,832 tourist rental places, practically 50% of its entire population.

In other news: One in five homes in Murcia snapped up by foreign buyers

Image: Archive

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