The Junta de Andalucía (regional government) steps up controls on holiday rentals in coordination with local councils.
The regional government of Andalusia has cancelled almost 10,300 tourist rental homes (VUT) since the start of 2024, following tighter regulation and oversight measures. According to data from the Directorate General of Tourist Planning, 10,266 cancellations were recorded between January 2024 and August 2025, either directly by the Junta or at the request of municipalities.
Málaga leads cancellations
Málaga province tops the list with 3,812 cancellations, followed by Granada (1,807), Cádiz (1,352), Sevilla (1,198), Almería (686), Córdoba (679), Huelva (403) and Jaén (329). Almost half (45%) of cancellations occurred in provincial capitals.
Tourism councillor Arturo Bernal stressed that “our management is not only designed for the visitor”, insisting that residents must be central to planning. He highlighted the importance of working “hand in hand with municipalities” to adapt regulation to each city’s model. Agreements are already in place with councils in Sevilla, Granada, Málaga, Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera and Almería, with further agreements pending in Córdoba and other towns.
Call for national coordination
Bernal again criticised the central government for failing to convene a national conference on tourist rentals, despite repeated requests from Andalusia over the past three years. “It is surprising how little weight tourism has in the central government, despite being one of Spain’s main industries,” he lamented.
Legislative changes
The regional strategy includes the approval of Decree 31/2024, which allows municipalities to impose proportional limits on tourist rentals by building, zone, or area for reasons of public interest. Decree-law 1/2025, passed in February, further strengthened the ability of councils to align tourist rental activity with urban planning requirements.
The Junta has also boosted enforcement through inspection programmes, database integration, cooperation agreements with municipalities, and even web-scraping techniques to track non-compliant listings. Bernal concluded that the results “prove that the work we have been doing is paying off” and reaffirmed the Junta’s ambition to ensure Andalusia remains a benchmark for sustainable tourism that creates long-term opportunities for residents.
