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Spain: Alicante City Council has imposed a two-year ban on new licences for short-term holiday rentals in order to address concerns over mass tourism and local available housing supply.
The moratorium in the city comes into force with immediate effect.
Justifying the council’s decision, urban planning councillor Rocío Gómez said that it would “emphasise the need for stricter enforcement and a comprehensive review of rental practices”, while stating its aim to “purify all those homes that do not comply with the regulations”. The council vote was met with only one vote against the measure and two abstentions.
A recent report that was commissioned by Alicante City Council revealed that there are an estimated 4,108 holiday rental properties in the city, representing 2.31 per cent of the total housing stock in Alicante. Of that figure, it is believed that 3,292 properties are currently operating without the sufficient licensing.
Looking ahead, the council may look to impose strengthened limits on holiday rentals and the duration for which they can be rented out each year, as well as to establish a public registration system to crack down on illegal rentals.
Gómez said that her primary goal behind the measure was to prioritise the wellbeing of residents in Alicante – one of the most popular destinations for tourists in Europe.
Other cities across Spain have announced similar measures to combat mass tourism and free up available housing supply, including Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga and Valencia.
Meanwhile, in-demand island destinations such as the Balearic and Canary Islands are also working on new regulations, with the latter recently announcing plans to ban the construction of new holiday homes for at least five years.
