City of Torrevieja claims authority to control tourist housing

New legislation allows local governments to initiate proceedings against short-term rental violations.

Torrevieja, September 11, 2024 - Torrevieja Mayor Eduardo Dolón has announced that the city intends to strengthen control over short-term rental activities. To this end, the city will request that the Valencian Regional Government (Generalitat Valenciana) delegate authority related to sanctioning violations of tourist housing regulations. The request is based on Article 98.2 of Decree Law 9/2024 of August 2, which amends the tourist housing regulations.

The decision on the possible transfer of these powers will be voted on at a City Council session, in accordance with the provisions of the law governing local governments. The new decree introduces a legal framework that updates and regulates key aspects related to short-term rentals.

Mayor Dolón stressed that tourist rentals are playing an increasingly important role in the tourism industry, especially in a city like Torrevieja, which is an important point on the map of the second-home market in Spain. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), as much as 69% of apartments in Torrevieja are non-main residence properties. Short-term rentals therefore have a large importance, necessitating a strengthening of regulation at the local and regional level.

One of the key provisions of Decree Law 9/2024 is to allow local governments to claim the authority to initiate administrative proceedings and impose penalties for violations of regulations related to tourist rentals, including light, serious and very serious violations.

The mayor recalled that previous legislation - Law 15/2018 of June 7, concerning tourism, leisure and hospitality in the Valencian Community - made it clear that it was the regional administration that had exclusive competence in the regarding inspection, supervision and enforcement of short-term rental regulations. However, the law allowed for cooperation with local government units on inspections, but without the ability of local governments to impose sanctions.

This state of affairs significantly hampered control over tourist rental activities. The new legislation aims to address this problem. The amendments introduced in Article 98 stipulate that local governments that meet the relevant conditions may apply for delegation of authority to conduct administrative proceedings and impose penalties for violations of tourist rental regulations in their area.

The introduction of these new regulations aims to improve cooperation between the regional and local administrations and increase efficiency in the management of the short-term rental market in Torrevieja.