Holiday rental licence in Andalusia (2026): RTA, guest registration and your neighbours

If you own a holiday flat in Jerez, El Puerto de Santa María, Rota, Puerto Real or Cádiz, or you are thinking of renting yours to tourists, there are four things worth understanding in 2026: registration in the Andalusian Tourism Register (RTA), guest registration, what your owners’ association can decide and your town hall’s rules. Here they are in plain English, without alarm and without promises.

What changed in 2026

In 2025 a national register for short-term rentals came into force on top of the regional one. The Spanish Supreme Court annulled it in ruling 620/2026 of 19 May, published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on 8 June 2026. For a holiday flat in Andalusia, what still counts is what always did: RTA registration, guest registration, your building and your town hall.

1. RTA: your holiday flat’s licence

In Andalusia, what people call a “holiday rental licence” is the registration of the property as a vivienda con fines turísticos (VFT) in the Andalusian Tourism Register, run by the regional government (Junta de Andalucía). It is governed by Decree 28/2016, amended in 2024.

The key points:

• The owner registers the property (or someone on their behalf) with a formal declaration (declaración responsable) to the Junta, stating that the flat meets the requirements.
• The property needs an occupancy licence and must meet the equipment and guest-information requirements set by Andalusian rules: suitable furniture and fittings, bed linen, a first-aid kit, local tourist information and official complaint forms available to guests, among others.
• Once registered, the flat receives a registration number, which must appear in every listing: Airbnb, Booking, your own website or any other channel.
• The Junta can inspect the property and check that what was declared is true. A listing without a number, or with the wrong one, is the first thing that gets noticed.

If your flat is already registered, it is worth checking now and then that the details are still correct: owner, capacity, number of guests and that the number is written correctly on every platform.

For the steps in order and who handles each part, see our page on the tourist licence in Andalusia.

2. Guest registration (SES.HOSPEDAJES)

All tourist accommodation, flats included, must report guests’ details to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior through the SES.HOSPEDAJES platform, under Royal Decree 933/2021. It is a public-safety requirement and applies to every stay, whether one night or one month.

In practice it means three things:

• Collecting each guest’s details on arrival: identity, ID document, contact details and booking details.
• Submitting them on time to the platform.
• Keeping the information for the period the rules require, with the care data protection demands.

It is a small task for each booking, but a constant one. When the owner lives far away or is short of time, it is one of the first things to slip.

3. The owners’ association

Since April 2025, the owners’ association (comunidad de propietarios) can limit or set conditions on new holiday rentals in the building with the approval of three fifths of the owners.

Before you start, check your building’s bylaws and meeting minutes: there may already be a resolution that affects your flat. If you are unsure how it applies to your case, ask the building administrator or a lawyer.

Once you are up and running, the best protection is good relations:

• Guests verified before arrival.
• Clear house rules, in Spanish and English: quiet hours, rubbish, shared areas.
• Someone who knows the building and looks after the neighbours if a problem comes up.
• Cleaning and rubbish removal on time after every check-out.

A quiet building is the best guarantee that your flat can keep being rented for many years.

4. Your town hall’s rules

Each town can add its own rules on holiday rentals through its planning regulations. Around the Bay of Cádiz the situation is not the same everywhere:

• Cádiz and El Puerto de Santa María have frozen new licences in certain areas.
• In Jerez, Rota and Puerto Real it is still wise to check the situation for your street before taking any step.

Before buying or renovating a flat to rent to tourists, always check with your town hall. And if your flat is already registered, keep your paperwork safe: it is your best support if the rules change.

You will find more about each area on our pages for Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María, Rota, Puerto Real and Cádiz.

What about taxes?

Income from your holiday flat must be declared: under IRPF if you are resident in Spain, or IRNR if you are not. Your tax adviser should handle this. What we can do is send you every month all your booking, income and cost information, neatly organised, so your accountant works with clear figures.

How Orilla Host helps

We only manage licensed flats. It is our choice: it protects the owner, the neighbours and us. With Orilla Completa we take care of the day-to-day legal side:

• We check that your RTA number is in order and shown correctly in all your listings.
• We collect every guest’s details and register them on SES.HOSPEDAJES for you.
• We verify guests and explain the house rules, to look after your relationship with the neighbours.
• Our own cleaning team gets the flat ready after every check-out and sends you a photo report.
• Every month we send you a report with bookings, income and costs.

If your flat does not have a licence yet, we can guide you through the steps, but we cannot promise it will be granted: that depends on the Junta, the town hall and your owners’ association.

See everything each package includes on our services page.

Questions about your case? Request your free assessment and we will go through it with you.

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This article is general information and does not constitute legal or tax advice. Rules change: always check the current situation with the authorities or a professional.