The Costa Blanca holiday rentals association, and Angelica Such Ronda, the minister of tourism in Valencia’s regional government, appear to have agreed new measures to control the business of renting holiday apartment to tourists on the Costa Blanca.

Sergio Gambi, president of the Costa Blanca tourist apartments association (Aptur), says the minister has accepted a proposal to fine companies and individuals who advertise rental apartments that have not been registered as such. Under the proposal all adverts for holiday rental properties, including any internet publicity, must state a registration number provided by the ministry of tourism.

Officials from the Autonomous Region of Valencia’s ministry of tourism confirm that draft new regulations for holiday rental apartments in the region, to be presented to business today, consider failure to publish a holiday rental registration number in adverts an administrative infraction.

Gambi warns that the Costa Blanca tourist apartments association will monitor adverts and report owners or rental agencies that fail to comply with the new regulations.

Research by the association in 2006 found that 80% of all holiday rental apartments in Benidorm were unregistered.