Latest news with #CarlosBabot
Daily Mirror
17-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Spain warning for Brits as new holiday rule comes into force from July 1
New rules governing short-term rentals in Spain come into force on July 1, potentially removing large numbers of holiday homes from the legal system and causing chaos for holidaymakers Brits heading on summer holidays in Spain have been warned that they may not have a place to stay. In just two weeks, on July 1, regulations governing short-term rentals will come into force in Spain. It includes a single register for short-term lets. It has been predicted that the change could see as much as 70% of the supply wiped from the market, potentially wiping £11 billion from the Spanish economy. The impact on holidaymakers could be that trips away are thrown into chaos. On Monday, the Spanish Federation of Tourist Housing and Apartment Associations warned that booked holiday homes could simply "disappear" from the system. 'Families who have booked an apartment or holiday home are likely to be left without accommodation, as a large part of the legal supply cannot be registered in the Single Digital Window system and will disappear from the platforms,' explained its president, Silvia Blasco, in a statement. Have you turned up on holiday to discover you have nowhere to stay? Email webtravel@ The organisation - which has a vested interest in the holiday home sector given its role representing " more than 185,000 apartments" across the country - has argued that the new system will "lead to an increase in the black economy and a rise in illegal housing." Around 100,000 registrations have been made throughout the country so far, according to data from Spain's Association of Registrars. Many Spanish owners are also having difficulties with the process, sources familiar with it told The Objective. The Spanish government approved the new regulations on tourist rentals at the end of 2024, although the rules officially come into force on January 2, 2025. The law established a transition period lasting until 1 July 2025, in which all short-term, tourist property owners affected can register in the new system. Once July 1 arrives, all owners of tourist and seasonal rental properties in Spain must have a unique registration number to operate legally. Carlos Babot, a lawyer at Babot-Aranguren Asociados, told the Objective that signing people up has been "chaos". 'We have encountered a lot of chaos, especially because of the criteria being followed by each property registry, which are different… You go to registry 9 in Málaga and they ask you for one set of documents, you go to registry 10 in Málaga and they ask you for a completely different set of documents," he said. If you are due to stay in a holiday home in Spain after July 1, it may be wise to contact the person who booked it with to make sure that you still have somewhere to stay. The transition is coming to an end during a period of significant upheaval in Spain, with huge numbers of protesters hitting the streets in opposition to mass tourism.
Local Spain
16-06-2025
- Business
- Local Spain
Foreigners struggle to register their Spanish holiday lets by July deadline
Foreign property owners in Spain are struggling to register their holiday rental accommodation before the upcoming July 1st deadline, figures reveal. Following reforms to Spanish legislation last year, in order for a tourist rental to be advertised it must now appear in a new registry – the so-called 'lease registration platform' (Ventanilla Única Digital de Arrendamientos in Spanish). But with only two weeks to go before the deadline, around 100,000 registrations have been made throughout the country so far, according to data from Spain's Association of Registrars. Reports in the Spanish press suggest this would mean that around 70 percent of total tourist flats in Spain have not yet been registered, with the deadline, July 1st 2025, rapidly approaching. Many Spanish owners are also having difficulties with the process due to the wide disparity in criteria and processes between different registrar offices, sources familiar with the process told The Objective. As 2024 came to an end, the Spanish government finally approved new regulations for the official registration of tourist rentals in Spain. Although the rules officially come into force on January 2nd 2025, the law established a transition period lasting until 1st July 2025 in which all short-term, tourist property owners affected can register in the new system. As of that date, owners of tourist and seasonal rental properties in Spain must have a unique registration number to operate legally. This includes the creation of a single register for these rentals. Those who do not have a registration number will be forced to stop their activity, as operating without it will be illegal. This issue affects both private owners and all digital platforms dedicated to holiday rentals that advertise this type of accommodation. 'The main problem we are encountering is with foreigners who own tourist rentals, whether they are foreign clients who contact the firm directly or management companies with foreign clients,' Carlos Babot, a lawyer at Babot-Aranguren Asociados specialised in these sorts of legal processes, told The Objective. The registration should be possible by digital certificate or in person at the Colegio de Registradores de España, and it can be done through a lawyer, gestor or agent. However, this has proven a problem for many foreign owners. 'In this case, the property registry requires a signed authorisation with a digital signature, and what happens is that most foreigners do not have a digital certificate. Try explaining to a Norwegian how to obtain a digital certificate in Spain. It is a tedious and cumbersome process that is greatly complicating the operation,' Badot says. Registration also requires the cadastral reference and exact address of the property, the type of rental, the maximum occupancy of the property and compliance with the specific regulations of each region. The Objective notes that landlords are also encountering problems on a local and regional level. 'The difference in criteria between the property registries, each of which requires different documentation, is another problem,' Badot explains. 'We have encountered a lot of chaos, especially because of the criteria being followed by each property registry, which are different… You go to registry 9 in Málaga and they ask you for one set of documents, you go to registry 10 in Málaga and they ask you for a completely different set of documents." According to the Association of Registrars, the number of registrations is expected to increase in the last two weeks before the deadline because staff have received specific training to manage the process. The new register set up by the government essentially means that in order for a home to be marketed on digital platforms, say on Airbnb or Idealista, it must now appear in a new registry – the so-called 'lease registration platform' (Ventanilla Única Digital de Arrendamientos in Spanish). In the past anyone could advertise their properties on online platforms such as Airbnb. There was no one checking if they actually had a tourist licence when it came to advertising online. This registry will verify that the property meets all the legal requirements to function as a holiday or seasonal rental. If it meets them all, it will be issued with an identification number to be able to advertise online. The registers will be for all rentals lasting less than one year, which includes tourist apartments, such as Airbnbs, as well as other temporary rentals, rooms and even floating boats.
Local Spain
24-05-2025
- Business
- Local Spain
Inside Spain: Privatised beaches and Airbnb fights back
Inside Spain For Members In this week's Inside Spain we look at how swanky bars are taking over public beaches much to the discontent of locals, and how Airbnb is reacting to the Spanish government's order for it to take down 66,000 listings. If you've been to a beach in Spain, there's a chance you've stopped for a drink or lunch at a chiringuito, which is the Spanish word for beach bar. They were once no-frills shack-like bars at the top end of the beach, but just like gentrification has turned Spain's bog-standard Bar Manolo into a bohemian café full of digital nomads, chiringuitos have also experienced a modernisation, and in some cases proliferation. This is the case in Málaga's coastal neighbourhood of La Malagueta, where locals have recently been protesting against the growing number of chiringuitos that take away public space for beachgoers such as picnic areas (merenderos). And they're not small establishments either, but rather 300 sqm private beach bars that resemble nightclubs or high-end restaurants. 'It's a real monstrosity,' Carlos Babot, spokesperson for the SOS Malagueta platform, told El País about one such chiringuito. 'And authorities don't care. They don't do anything to prevent it.' His organisation was founded to denounce what Malagueta residents consider to be a breach of the law due to the increasing number of restaurants, sun loungers, and other services which are catering to tourists while occupying a public beach. There are currently six beach bars and one restaurant operating at Málaga's main urban beach. For many it's a symptom of what Málaga has become, a city which caters for wealthy foreigners and big profits instead of local communities. And obviously, Málaga isn't the only place in Spain where beaches are being 'privatised'. For years, Ibiza residents have complained that many beach clubs don't comply with municipal regulations. "Residents have had their beaches privatized, and we already have our designated areas, we're like natives on their reservations," Jaume Ribas, spokesperson for the Citizen Platform PROU, told La Sexta TV channel. "It's hard for a family, for a normal person, to put their towels in front of the sun loungers when you have people drinking champagne and cava with loud music behind you," he added. Ironically, the other meaning for chiringuito in Spanish refers to a shady business or a government department born from cronyism. But there are regional governments realising what the rise of mega-beach bars can mean for locals and their enjoyment of public spaces. For example, Asturias introduced legislation in 2024 to ensure that beaches weren't overexploited by chiringuitos. Spanish law states that no beach in the country can be private, but what is happening at many of the most popular playas is just another example of how overtourism affects the social fabric of coastal neighbourhoods, and in the process changes the face of Spain. In other news, perhaps the biggest story this week was that the Spanish government has told Airbnb to take down nearly 66,000 listings for 'illegal' holiday lets across the country. These are reportedly tourist flats in residential buildings that don't have the right licences, and which in the process are contributing to the country's dwindling long-term rental stock, adding further problems to Spain's housing crisis. Airbnb has since hit back at the demands of Spain's Ministry of Consumer Affairs, arguing that the ruling "is at odds" with Spanish and European regulations. The short-term accommodation platform has announced that it will continue to appeal all decisions affecting this case. An Airbnb spokesperson has told Spanish news agency Efe that Spain's Consumer Affairs Ministry "doesn't have the authority" to enforce regulations regarding tourist accommodation. Furthermore, Airbnb claims that Spanish authorities have used an "indiscriminate" methodology for the removal of listings, including ads that display licences and others that might not require them, such as seasonal rentals, which are not technically tourist lets, though still controversial in Spain. The spokesperson added that the government's order "has also deliberately ignored" Supreme Court rulings "which have made it clear that not all Airbnb listings require a registration number." Airbnb argues that it requires all hosts to certify that they have the necessary permits and reminds them throughout the year to check and comply with local regulations. Non-compliance may result in ad removal from its platform, it notes. Among the platform's other arguments is that it's subject to the EU's Digital Services Act, that it has no supervisory obligations, and that it should not be considered a real estate service, according to a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). Airbnb has highlighted that in January 2022, Spain's Supreme Court followed the ruling of the European Union Court of Justice in issuing a ruling establishing that the information in advertisements, including the registration number where necessary, is the responsibility of the final tourist service provider and not of the platform on which it is advertised.
