Renting out your holiday home - Page 2

Sorry. Bev. Lol

Is Muna Spa is one of the new build apartment complexes near the Los Dolses commercial centre?  if so then it comes under the Town Hall in Playa Flamenca, by the N332 just past the Mercadonna supermarket and where the Tourist Info office is based.  Best to go there to ask about the initial Certificate of Compatibility.  Some new build apartments have two smaller shower rooms rather than a large family bathroom - 4.5m2 is equivalent to roughly 7 feet square (or just over 6'x8' etc) so that would be your first check before visiting the Town Hall.

Our apartment is 3bedroom. Bathroom is larger than 6’x8’. The complex is in Avenida Monte Zenia. 

Once you have completed on the purchase then visit the Town hall in Playa Flamenca to get the ball rolling.  Good luck.

You'll need a tourist licence - we waited 5 months for ours last year but it is now longer. Big fines now if you rent without a licence (up to €60k) You then need to go to the police station and apply for a logon to their security site where you must register every paying guest over 16 years old - name, passport number, DOB, date of arrival. Again you'll wait months for this as there is just one copper allocated to do this. Unless you speak Spanish best to have a solicitor to do this but they will obviously charge you. You also need to do four tax returns a year, even for just one week of rental any given quarter. Again, an accountant or solicitor may be needed if you don't speak Spanish and don't know how to do tax returns. If you use the holiday lettings websites they charge, (in our case Holiday Lettings) 14.5% to the renter plus 3% to you. We are have been on for 4 months an dreceived over 900 hits but only received 2 rentals, and our place is brand new, on a lovely complex with two pools and two jacuzzis and well located. The taxman and police will look at these sites to check on your rentals and income. Also remember that you will pay electricity and water bills during rental periods and electricity is expensive. Last month we had one week of occupancy in the month and the bill was €101. 

Thanks for being so honest. Youve talked us out of it. We have purchased our brand new property as a holday flat for us and family to enjoy but thought why not try recoup some money by letting it out when not in use TBH we didnt realise how difficult the Spanish authorities would be. They will turn off people buying property. Many thanks. 

The Spanish authorities are not being difficult, they have introduced legislation that protects both owners and renters and clamps down on illegal operators.

Good to know. But it all sounds very painful. We will enjoy the use of our property minus the hassle. 

Sorry to hear you are not getting the number of bookings you need.  Try a free listing on Homeaway.co.uk to give things a boost (better rankings for a paid listing but you need to do things as cheap as possible at the moment until established).  Also PM your email address as I may be able to help with some free promotion. Bev

Just to say that our apartment has two bathrooms and both are smaller tha 4.5 sq.m but we still had our licence granted.