The Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda has issued a statement reminding property owners that on 1 July, European regulations governing short-term rentals will come into force in Spain, including a single register for short lets. In the statement, the Ministry highlights that, with this measure, the Spanish Government and the European Union aim to address the ‘complex scenario’ arising from the housing situation through mechanisms that ‘curb cases of fraud’ and consolidate a ‘transparent’ market.
However, European Regulation 2024/1028 establishes that all properties intended for tourist or seasonal use must have a registration code in order to operate legally. This means that accommodation that does not have a number by the beginning of July will not be able to remain active. In order to speed up the registration and identification process for properties, the Ministry has made the Single Rental Register available to the public, which also aims to facilitate supervision by the authorities.
Likewise, the Single Digital Rental Window will centralise the procedures related to registration and data consultation, thus promoting efficient and streamlined management for all. Applications for a registration number been be available from 2 January 2025, the date on which the regulations came into force, until 1 July, the date on which compliance with the regulations becomes effective.
The application, which is made at the Association of Registrars, must be accompanied by the relevant documentation, i.e. the cadastral reference and the exact address of the accommodation, the type of rental (entire property or rooms), the number of people who may use the property and compliance with the requirements established by each autonomous community for setting up this type of service.
Once the registration application has been submitted and validated, the owners of these properties will receive an identification number that they must publish on the online platforms where they advertise their rental services. In this way, these properties will be officially listed. To promote the regulations, the Ministry has launched a campaign to raise public awareness of the need for this regulatory mechanism and to provide the relevant information.