Spain's Málaga suspends new tourist flat licences for three years

Málaga city council has suspended licences for new tourist flats in the southern city, fulfilling a pledge that it would attempt to better regulate short-term accommodation in the popular tourist hotspot.

The promise, first made by mayor Francisco de la Torre several months ago, has now been confirmed by local government, which has approved changes to Málaga's General Urban Development Plan (PGOU). This means the suspension of the granting of new tourist accommodation licences for the next three years or until the new regulations are approved.

FIND OUT: Why Málaga has become a victim of its own success

Reports in the Spanish press describe the new measure as the “full stop” to a series of initiatives approved by the council to limit the expansion of tourist accommodation in the Andalusian city, one of the epicentres of Spain's anti-tourism movement last year.

The decision comes after a series of steps to crackdown on short-term tourist rentals, something many locals blame for dwindling social housing stock and skyrocketing rental prices.

READ ALSO: 'Get the f*ck out of here' - Spain's Málaga plastered with anti-tourism stickers

Firstly, new tourist licences were banned for properties that did not have a separate entrance within the block.

Then the authorisation of new tourist flats was restricted in 43 neighbourhoods, where Airbnb-type rentals make up more than 8 percent of housing stock.

And finally, this latest measure puts an end to the issuing of tourist licences throughout the city and wider municipality. According to de la Torre, there are currently 12,754 licensed tourist flats in Málaga, although only 8,596 of them are operating. Many hundreds or thousands more could be operating illegally.

Málaga is far from the only Spanish city to try and regulate short-term tourist accommodation.

Barcelona has boldly pledged to ban all holiday apartments by 2028, and capitals like Valencia and Madrid, as well as tourist destinations like the Canary Islands, among others, have also taken steps to limit their impact on local property markets.

READ MORE: Which cities in Spain have new restrictions on tourist rentals?