The Junta de Andalucía has removed 11,131 properties from its official register of tourist accommodation between January and September 2025, latest figutes show.
The move is part of a sweeping crackdown on unlicensed holiday lets across the region, which have been blamed for pricing locals out of the property market, reducing housing stock and causing excessive ‘touristification’.
Speaking before the Andalucian Parliament, the regional minister for Tourism Arturo Bernal defended his department’s record, highlighting what he called ‘real, operational measures with tangible results’ – including the creation of a dedicated police unit to tackle illegal tourist housing.
Andalucia’s official register of tourist properties, launched in 2015, currently lists around 150,000 homes with the proper authorisation to host visitors.
However, since the new tourist housing decree came into force in February 2024, those numbers have begun to fall.
The Junta has also reinforced its digital notification system in an effort to simplify registration and compliance procedures.
Municipal powers strengthened
In addition to the regional controls introduced by the Junta, local councils now play a key role in regulating short-term rentals – something Bernal says is designed to ‘let town halls decide what they want their cities to be’.
The new rules prevent automatic registration in areas with urban restrictions. Properties declared illegal by local authorities can no longer be entered into the register simply by filing a ‘responsible declaration’, the simplified process previously used to obtain approval.
While Bernal expressed pride in his department’s progress, Spain’s Minister for Housing and Land Planning, Isabel Rodriguez, accused the Junta of ‘turning a blind eye’.
Speaking at a Radio Sevilla event on Thursday, Rodriguez claimed that Sevilla, Malaga and Marbella were among the Spanish cities with ‘the highest number of illegal tourist flats’.
She also insisted that, contrary to the Junta’s numbers, the ministry had rejected 17,000 listings across the region.
‘Some people don’t like the fact that in Andalucia we’re actually doing the work,’ Bernal retorted in parliament. He rejected claims that tourist lets are to blame for soaring rental prices, stressing that tourism remains ‘one of the main industries of our land’.
‘We refuse to demonise property owners or legitimate businesses,’ he said. ‘Any property with a registration number in the official database is a legal property.’
Working with platforms to remove illegal listings
Despite rejecting parts of the central government’s housing law, the Junta has introduced further measures to curb the rise in unregulated tourist accommodation. Bernal confirmed that his department has been meeting with major booking platforms to ensure they promote only verified properties.
‘The platforms are removing the same listings that we are striking off our register,’ he said, expressing confidence that a large part of the unlicensed online offer would soon disappear.
New ‘Titan’ police unit
Bernal also announced that his department has signed an agreement with the Ministry of the Presidency to launch the Titan unit of the Andalucian regional police.
The new force will intensify inspections and investigate illegal tourist rentals.
Its mission includes identifying properties not listed in the Junta’s database and carrying out online searches to detect unregistered or clandestine accommodation offers.
Read more Spain property news at the Spanish Eye.
