Tourism license - Page 2

Hi Thanks for your reply. I appreciate all the comments and feedback i have received.

Kind regards 

Excellent clear information, so many people seem to think these regulations can be flouted but it's important to comply as the consequences for non compliance is severe. 

Yes good point. This is why we are going down the legal road. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night renting without all the correct paperwork in place.

Kind regards 

Hi CP, you are totally right, when I was planning to come over to view the area that I was interested in I couldn’t find any hotels near by, and whats the point of stopping tourist from coming to these areas, the businesses would welcome more tourists , and the size they stipulated for a bathroom/ shower room is crazy, hotels don’t have this size.

Hi, yes I did tell the agent this is what I intended to do, holiday rental, my property is only a little one bedroom bungalow, and finished buying it last August but had put my deposit down in the March, it was the solicitor that dragged his feet till I got a different one.and I might be able to extend into the little utility room, but till I get there there is little I can do, I’m so angry, if I had known any of this I would not have bought here .

Karol. by rights if you put in writing that you wanted to rent out the property as a holiday let, then you in theory have comeback against the agent.  Unfortunately a lot of agents are not members of the professional bodies.  If the agent is an AIPP member then you can report them for misinformation and misrepresentation of the property (and the AIPP do take things seriously).  

Licensing rules are in place all over Spain now, some regional regulations are much harder to comply with than others.  In our area the main problem is bathrooms - and I agree it's nuts that you can buy or rent a property to live in with a smaller bathroom than a property where you spend a couple of weeks holiday.

I agree Karol the bathroom size seems ridiculous.   We bought with intention of renting out and estate agent was fully aware.  We then decided to delay renting it out for a year whilst we got sorted.   Haven’t checked room sizes but think it unlikely we will meet all the latest criteria. 

cp: The only way around it is to let the property for a longer period - say a let for 2-3 months.  Mid-term lets and long-term lets don't have the same license restrictions but you do need to issue proper contracts and you will need the right sort of insurance too.  Maybe that could be an option for you.

The room sizes are not a new criteria but they used to take your word for it rather than you have to prove it with a certificate or inspection.  You estate agent and Karol's should both have taken on board that you planned to rent it out and not shown properties that don't meet criteria.  As a property finder I have been nagging agents for over 4 years about this - if our clients are looking for a property that they plan to let out then we always make the requirements clear.  

Sadly nothing in writing, they even said they could help find holiday rentals for me, I’m angry with myself, I thought I had read up on all the rental laws but never once did I see the information about the room sizes, I wanted it obviously for myself for holidays but also to rent out to cover itself, and to hopefully top my pension up, so if I can’t sort something out I will have to try and sell and loose even more money ,not a happy bunny 🙁

That's an awful situation and shows how unscrupulous some agents can be. If it was clear that you wished to buy with the specific purpose of holiday letting then surely the agent bears some responsibility for selling you something that's not fit for purpose. It's infuriating to see properties still being advertised that will never meet the holiday rental criteria.  Long term letting is an option but the law has just changed meaning tenants can potentially stay in a property for up to 5 years - don't believe anyone who tells you an 11 month contract means you can get tenants out within a year.  All in all, I've decided it's too risky so I've backed away from buying an investment property.