Staff Reporter
MORE than 168,000 properties advertised as short-term tourist rentals must remove their listings off platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com today or face large fines ranging from €2,000 to half a million.
The system, which came into force in January but is only mandatory from July 1, assigns an identification number to each property advertised for tourist or seasonal use.
READ MORE: Tourist rentals on Costa Blanca: Over half of listings don’t publish license number
It’s hoped this system will provide more transparency and control over this type of housing, which is contributing to Spain’s housing crisis.
Over the last month, more than 125,000 requests for identification numbers were received in a last minute rush to meet the new requirements.
In total, 199,686 requests have been received since January 2.
The National Statistics Institute has identified 368,295 apartments as tourist properties in Spain, and almost half could be removed from accommodation rental sites after today for not registering in time.
Between August of last year and November, 28,588 accommodations already disappeared from the market.
Registrars have 15 business days to issue a final resolution, which may confirm or revoke the application.
The most common reasons for denying an application include bylaws of a homeowners’ association explicitly prohibiting tourist rentals, the property is subsidised, or the property lacks a licence required by the city council.
The provinces of Malaga, Gran Canaria, Alicante, the Balearic Islands, and Barcelona, account for 40% of all vacation accommodation in the country.
READ MORE: Angry residents protest outside Mallorca building crammed with illegal tourist rentals
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While I had correctly placed my NRA on June 24, my platform provider is not able to show it to my prospective customers on July 1 due to computer problems.
How could the Spanish administration invent a registraton number with 17 consecutive zeroes?
My Andalucian license number comes with 11 dgits.