Renting Out Your Holiday Home on the Costa Blanca: New Regulations & VT Licenses (2026)

Renting out your Spanish villa or apartment to holidaymakers is a superb way to offset ongoing running costs, cover community fees, and generate attractive rental yields. However, legislation governing holiday rentals (viviendas de uso turístico) across the Valencian Community has tightened significantly over recent years.

Listing your property on Airbnb, Vrbo, or Booking.com without an official tourist license is illegal in Spain and can trigger severe penalties ranging from €10,000 to as high as €100,000. In this guide, we outline the exact steps required to let your property legally and with total peace of mind.

1. The 4 Essential Steps to Secure a Tourist License

Step 1: The Municipal Urban Compatibility Report

Before applying to the regional government, you must request an urban compatibility certificate (informe municipal de compatibilidad urbanística) from your local town hall (Ayuntamiento of Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa, Rojales, Guardamar, etc.). The town council verifies whether tourist rentals are permissible under local zoning rules and quotas for your area.

Step 2: Community of Owners Approval (Comunidad de Propietarios)

If your property is located within an apartment complex or gated urbanisation governed by a Community of Owners (Comunidad de Propietarios), strict rules apply. Under the Spanish Horizontal Property Law (Ley de Propiedad Horizontal), communities can restrict or outright prohibit tourist letting by a 3/5ths majority vote, or levy an additional community fee surcharge (up to 20%). Always inspect community statutes and recent meeting minutes!

Step 3: Responsible Declaration (Declaración Responsable)

Once municipal clearance and community permissions are confirmed, you digitally lodge a declaración responsable with the Alicante Tourism Board. Your property must satisfy mandatory safety and comfort standards:

• A certified first aid kit and functional fire extinguisher;
• Prominently displayed emergency telephone numbers and multilingual instructions;
• Air conditioning and heating installed in living rooms and all bedrooms;
• Official complaints sheets (hojas de reclamaciones) visible and accessible to guests.

Step 4: Issuance of Your Official VT Registration Number

Upon successful review and registration, you receive your unique registration code and the official blue tourist plaque, which must be affixed next to the main entrance of the property.

2. Mandatory Guest Registration: SES.HOSPEDAJES & Police Portal

Under Spanish security legislation, the details of every guest aged 14 and over must be registered within 24 hours of check-in with the Guardia Civil or National Police via Spain's centralised SES.HOSPEDAJES platform.

Guests must present valid passports or national identity cards upon arrival and sign a physical or digital traveller registration document (parte de entrada de viajeros). These records must be preserved securely by the host for at least 3 years in a formal registry book.

3. Key Handover, Cleaning & Local Emergency Contact

Spanish law and booking platforms mandate having a designated local representative available 24/7 to attend to emergencies (such as guest lockouts, plumbing leaks, or power outages). Portals like Airbnb require hosts to provide contact details for someone who can physically arrive at the property within reasonable time.

4. Non-Resident Tax Obligations on Rental Income

Non-resident property owners must declare gross rental income quarterly using Modelo 210. EU and EEA tax residents are taxed at 19% on net rental profit and can deduct direct property running costs (cleaning, key holding fees, repairs, portal commissions, and utility bills for rental days). Non-EU residents (including UK owners post-Brexit) are taxed at 24% on gross revenue with no deduction allowances.