Spain to convert 53,000 tourist apartments to rentals

Published on Sep 21, 2025, 1:30 pm CDT

5 min read

Spain will remove 53,876 non-compliant tourist apartments from its new national register and move them toward long-term rental use. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez unveiled the step at a party event in Málaga, citing irregularities uncovered since the register went live. The Housing Ministry has instructed platforms, including Airbnb and Booking.com, to drop affected listings. Airbnb said the "vast majority" of its active Spain listings now display a registration number and pledged quick removal of any remaining non-compliant ads. Regions led by Andalusia account for most revoked registrations.

Key Points

Why it matters: Spain is reclaiming inventory for residents by delisting 53,876 tourist apartments.
Travel impact: Fewer short-term options in hot spots like Andalusia and the Canary Islands.
What's next: Platforms will purge remaining listings tied to revoked numbers in coordination with the Housing Ministry.
Airbnb says 70,000 additional Spain listings now show a registration number.
Madrid shows a higher share of "seasonal" filings than tourist rentals in the national system.

Snapshot

Spain's Single Register of Tourist and Seasonal Rentals launched in January 2025, with platforms enforcing visible registration numbers from July. After reviewing applications, officials say 53,876 tourist apartments failed to meet requirements and will be removed from the register, then steered to permanent leases. The government has notified major platforms to take down affected ads, a process already under way. Airbnb publicly backed the move, framing it as a collaboration to improve quality and transparency. Andalusia has the largest number of revoked registrations, followed by the Canary Islands, Catalonia, and the Valencian Community. The action comes amid broader crackdowns on visitor impacts nationwide, alongside measures like Spain's evolving outdoor-smoking restrictions on terraces and beaches, covered here: Spain outdoor smoking ban on terraces and beaches.

Background

Spain's national register aims to unify oversight of short-term rentals across autonomous communities, standardizing identification and improving enforcement. Hosts must secure a national registration number and display it on platform listings. According to the Housing Ministry, the apartments now being delisted had applied for a number after July 1, 2025, but were refused because filings did not satisfy legal criteria. The register has received hundreds of thousands of applications since January. Regional governments and industry groups have debated the scope of national oversight, with some contesting the label "illegal" for homes that may hold local permits. Still, the central government argues the unified register is necessary to police spam, duplication across platforms, and non-compliant operators.

Latest Developments

Airbnb says most listings already include registration numbers

Airbnb reported that 70,000 additional listings in Spain display a registration number in 2025, stating that the majority of its active inventory is already compliant. Working with the Housing Ministry, Airbnb says fewer than 10 percent of the revoked national registration numbers were still linked to active Airbnb listings, which it will remove. The company cast the shift as a "new chapter" for its Spain business, focused on collaboration, quality, and long-term, sustainable growth. Industry outlets and government notices indicate platforms have begun deregistring non-compliant ads and purging duplicates, with the ministry pressing for swift takedowns. Travelers should expect better labeling on what remains, stricter listing standards, and, in the near term, tighter availability in certain high-demand districts.

Regional impact led by Andalusia

The ministry's figures show the largest concentration of revoked tourist-rental registrations in Andalusia, at 16,740. The Canary Islands count 8,698, Catalonia 7,729, and the Valencian Community 7,499. Galicia lists 2,640, the Balearic Islands 2,373, the Community of Madrid 1,531, and Murcia 1,402. Officials also noted a distinctive Madrid pattern, where about 83 percent of filings were for seasonal rentals, not classic tourist rentals. City-level concentrations include Sevilla, Marbella, Barcelona, Málaga, Madrid, and Benalmádena. The geographic skew reflects Spain's holiday corridors and urban hotspots, where short-term demand has collided with rising rents for residents. As platforms delist, expect some conversion to long-term leases, plus closer scrutiny of new listings entering the register.

Analysis

For the travel market, the near-term effect is less supply in popular neighborhoods, especially across Andalusia and island destinations. That could nudge nightly prices upward where compliant stock is scarce, at least until owners pivot units into longer stays or residential leases. For compliant hosts, clearer rules and visible registration numbers may lift traveler confidence and reduce unfair competition from incomplete filings or duplicate ads. The ministry's push also aligns Spain with a broader European trend of platform accountability, using national numbering to curb gray listings and data gaps. The political friction is real, since housing authority often sits with autonomous communities, and some local officials argue that "irregular" does not always equal unlawful. Even so, a unified register, enforced on platforms, is a practical lever. Over time, better traceability should simplify tax compliance, help cities target nuisance operators, and refine capacity planning where overtourism strains local services. Travelers and suppliers will likely see a cleaner marketplace, with fewer shadow listings and stronger consumer disclosures.

Final Thoughts

Spain's decision to delist 53,876 tourist-rental registrations, then channel that housing toward residents, marks a significant reset for popular destinations. Enforcement through platforms means the remaining inventory should be more transparent, with visible registration numbers and fewer duplicates. Some high-demand areas will feel tighter in the short term, but consistent rules should stabilize the market and improve quality signals for visitors. The move also places Spain at the forefront of platform-based enforcement in Europe, where national numbering can backstop local rules. Watch how quickly delisted units reappear as leases and how cities calibrate neighborhood caps. For now, the headline is clear, Spain is prioritizing homes for residents while tightening Spain tourist apartments.