Over the past few years, cities across Spain have been taking measures aimed at limiting the number of tourists at the country’s hotspots and thus tackling the effects of overtourism. Along with sustainability, one of the biggest concerns is the effect the booming of holiday rentals has on housing markets, pushing locals out of their cities.
The latest city to address this issue is Malaga, which, as of 14 January 2025, has stopped issuing licenses for new holiday rentals in districts where this kind of accommodation makes up for over 8% of the residential housing market. In total 43 districts are targeted by the ban, which will stay in effect for three years for an initial trial basis, after which it could be extended.
“It isn’t fair that those who have three, four or five apartments as short-term rentals pay less tax than hotels or workers,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said. “The government’s duty is to prioritise residential use of housing and prevent speculative and touristic uses from expanding in a totally uncontrolled manner at the cost of residents.”
At the same time as banning new holiday lets, the city has also taken additional measures to aid its residents in finding or keeping housing. The city hall has recently approved the first license for a senior cohousing development in Velez-Malaga, aimed at easing the burden of finding housing for older residents.
Malaga is not the first Spanish city to address the holiday rental issue, with Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni announcing last year that short term rentals will be phased out of the Catalan capital by 2028. The measure is meant “to guarantee the right to live in Barcelona and deal effectively with the housing crisis we have been suffering for years,” Collobi explained last year.
Nationwide, to further protect the housing market for residents, Sánchez has recently also announced plans to charge 100% tax on properties purchased by non-EU citizens. The Prime Minister told economists in Madrid in January that part of the problem is that many of those are “not to live in” but “to make money from”, as they are often second homes that are rented out for vacationers.
Other anti-overtourism measures taken throughout the country include a sunbed cap in Mallorca, cutting off water to illegal short-term rentals in Seville, limiting alcohol allowances in popular resorts in Ibiza and Mallorca, limiting the number of cruise ships allowed to dock in Barcelona and even hiding a bus route from google maps to allow residents to keep using public transport without struggling to find a seat.
