Seville is bringing in the big guns to put an end to illegal tourist apartments. Facing difficulties in reaching an agreement with the opposition that would allow restrictions on holiday rentals, the Seville City Council has decided to launch an offensive with a dozen measures that will make it harder for homeowners who rent their homes to tourists without permission. Mayor José Luis Sanz had announced that the licenses issued following the changes to the General Plan would be examined with a magnifying glass “one by one” and had asked the Council to withdraw 715, warning that “it will be done. It does not comply with the regulations.” But the initiative that has caused the most excitement is another: cutting off the water to tourist apartments that do not comply with the law.

Hopeless problems… supply disruption.

Goodbye to illegal tourist apartments. This is the goal set by the popular mayor of Seville, José Luis Sanz. The councilor announced through his X account a package of ten measures “to put an end to illegal tourist houses”. The announcement came after his government tried to sign an agreement with the opposition that would limit rental licenses.

José Luis Sanz’s team tried this at the municipal plenary session earlier in the summer, but their approach failed to convince PSOE, Vox and Con Podemos-IU, who voted against it. The result: a proposal to block holiday rental licences in part of the historic centre, the most saturated area of ​​the municipality, and control them in neighbourhoods where the pressure is lower, did not materialise.

Call effectIf the scenario were not complex enough in itself, especially in a city that is flooded with tourists like Seville and whose housing rental market is at its highest levels in history, the opposition warns that the City Council is doing nothing more than creating a “call-in effect” as new licences begin to arrive.

“In June 2023, 8,074 houses for tourist use; in February 2024, 8,778; in March 2024, 9,076; in June 2024, 9,318,” Socialist councillor Francisco Páez said at a municipal general meeting in June, giving examples.

Removal of artillery. In this environment, the Seville City Council decided to deploy heavy weapons and take a stand against tourist apartments that operate irregularly. Like? According to yesterday’s newspaper, resorting to coercive measures ABCIn addition, the news item, which detailed the most striking detail, stated that Emasesa, the company responsible for the city’s water supply and sanitation, will cut off water to houses rented to tourists without permission. Sanz confirmed this via X: Illegal tourist houses, which continue their activities without being included in regional records, are at risk of water cuts.

Is this the only measure? No. Sanz cites others, including sanctions against repeat landlords or the “one-by-one” review of the permits issued after the recent changes to the General Plan. He also notes that the City Council has taken a very important step: it has informed the Andalusian Government of 715 apartments that do not comply with what is stated in the PGOU, thus risking being dropped from the regional register that supports them. The Ministry must review your documents according to a procedure it has already indicated. ABC It may still take several months after Consistory.

“Zero tolerance” for illegal apartments. The quote comes again from the Mayor, who assures that the City Council will act “with firmness and zero tolerance” against houses that do not comply with the law and are rented to tourists in an irregular manner. “The coexistence of tourism, which is the main driving force of the city, with the daily life of the people of Sevillian is and will continue to be a priority,” he explains.

What will this commitment translate into? Transfer at least a dozen cases each week to the Andalusian Junta, so that they can be examined in detail and procedures will be accelerated by including criteria that will allow prioritization of certain files. For example, clarify ABCApartments with certain features located in the most saturated areas of the city. Attention will also be paid to apartments that create problems living together with other families in the building.

Beyond SevilleSeville is certainly not the only city in Spain looking for a way to control the surge in tourist apartments that are further straining an already tight housing market.

Madrid has decided to freeze licensing and make penalties heavier; Barcelona wants to revoke its licences in the medium term, affecting thousands of tourist apartments in the city; in Santiago de Compostela they have strengthened their regulations; in Valencia a moratorium has been adopted… and the list goes on, with measures taken by institutions – including the central agency – to prevent the transfer of homes to a lucrative business such as holiday rentals and mass tourism.

Image by Taisia ​​Karaseva (Unsplash)

In Xataka | A family paid 1,800 euros for a tourist house in Galicia. On arrival the house was not there and there was no response to the Booking