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Thousands of Murcia holiday rentals blocked from Airbnb and Booking
One in three applications for holiday rental licences in the Region of Murcia has been turned down
More than two thousand holiday homes across the Region of Murcia have been stopped from being advertised on popular booking websites after failing to meet new registration requirements.
In total, 2,075 tourist accommodation applications have been rejected, meaning those properties can no longer legally appear on platforms such as Airbnb or Booking.com. The figures come after a rush of applications from owners trying to secure a Rental Registration Number, now a legal requirement for holiday and seasonal rentals.
Nearly 6,000 applications were submitted by owners of flats, apartments and houses across the Region. But more than a third of them did not pass the checks carried out by property registrars, giving Murcia the second highest rejection rate in Spain, beaten only by Castilla-La Mancha, where 36.45% of holiday lets were turned down.
For many landlords, the decision has been a bitter blow, but it follows months of tightening controls on tourist rentals nationwide. Back in December, Spain’s consumer watchdog removed more than 65,000 holiday homes that were being advertised illegally on Airbnb, with over 2,700 of them located in the Region of Murcia alone.
Since July 1 last year, properties used for tourist or seasonal rentals must have a valid registration number issued through the Property Registry. In Murcia, almost 34.71% of applications have been refused outright, while a further 8% remain under review with only provisional approval.
According to Santiago Ruiz Martínez, Dean of the Association of Property Registrars in the Region of Murcia, the aim is to bring order and transparency to a market that has grown rapidly in recent years. He says most applications are approved, but a significant number fail to meet the legal conditions required to operate as a holiday rental.
One of the main stumbling blocks is the rules set by communities of owners. If a building’s registered statutes prohibit tourist or holiday use, the application is automatically denied. Registrars are required to check these rules carefully before granting approval.
Furthermore, "for those who have started tourist activity in their own homes after April 3, 2025, it is not enough that there is no prior statutory prohibition, but they must have express authorisation from the community of owners granted with the favourable vote of three-fifths of the total number of owners who, in turn, represent three-fifths of the participation quotas," Mr Ruiz Martínez explained.
This growing sensitivity around short term rentals has led to more and more buildings changing their statutes to block tourist use altogether, a move that has caused frustration among many non-resident owners.
Registrars also verify that the person applying has a legal right to rent out the property, that the home is not classified as protected housing and that all required regional paperwork is in place. In Murcia, this includes submitting a responsible declaration for tourist use.
With enforcement stepping up and rules becoming tighter, many owners are now discovering that renting out a holiday home in the Region of Murcia is no longer as straightforward as it once was.
Also of interest: International visitors drive tourism in Murcia
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