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The country has started removing over 86,000 illegal tourist and short-term rental listings from online platforms. From July 2025 onwards, all short-term rentals will require an official registration number. Properties that applied but failed to meet the legal requirements have been denied registration and reported so that their listings can be removed.
Of the approximately 412,000 registration requests, around 78% were for tourist rentals and 22% for seasonal rentals. The new system aims to reduce fraud, protect housing availability, and ensure that only properly registered properties can be rented to tourists.
The Costa del Sol is One of The Areas Most Affected
Several Costa del Sol towns feature prominently on the list of rejected registrations, which highlights the size of the holiday rental market in this region.
Marbella, for example, recorded 2,993 rejected requests, compared with 5,344 in Madrid and 5,005 in Barcelona. Other Costa del Sol locations also feature highly, including Benalmádena (1,035), Fuengirola (719), and Mijas (664).
At the regional level, Andalusia tops the list with 21,872 rejected applications, ahead of Valencia (14,387) and the Canary Islands (13,726). From our perspective at Costa Prime Realty, this also creates an opportunity: as regulations become stricter, the market increasingly rewards well-managed, legally compliant properties and reliable services.
For investors or buyers looking to relocate to the Costa del Sol, this demonstrates that the property market is highly effective when you adhere to the rules and collaborate with the appropriate professionals.
Here we have a complete guide on the rules for holiday rentals on the Costa del Sol, which is the perfect resource for anyone looking to rent a property in the area.
The expected return on such investments here is typically 6-8%. We can help you estimate this by conducting free research into the current situation and your specific requirements. Get in touch!
See you on the Costa!
Izidor
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