Tourist rental 2025: you need neighbor permission if your license is after April 3

Key data

If you have a tourist apartment with a license obtained from April 3, 2025 onwards, the rules of the game have changed. The reform of the Horizontal Property Law introduced by Organic Law 1/2025 requires that you have express authorization from your homeowners association to operate legally. Without it, you will not be able to obtain the unique short-term rental registration number, and your listings on digital platforms may be removed.

The Resolution of February 27, 2026 from the General Directorate of Legal Security and Public Faith resolves a specific case in Valencia, where the property registrar suspended the assignment of the unique registration number because the tourist license was obtained on October 29, 2025, that is, after the deadline of April 3, 2025. This resolution sets a precedent and clarifies how the regulation is applied in practice.

What does this regulation establish?

Organic Law 1/2025 reformed the Horizontal Property Law by establishing a clear cutoff date: April 3, 2025. From that date onwards, any property that wishes to be used for short-term tourist rental and whose license is after that date must have express authorization from the homeowners association.

In the resolved case, the appealing property owner argued that the property was already registered as a tourist apartment and that the association bylaws allowed that use. However, the resolution clarifies that these arguments are not sufficient to avoid the new requirement for express authorization when the license is after April 3, 2025.

Economic and operational impact

The impact is not just bureaucratic: it directly affects the viability of the business. If you cannot obtain the unique short-term rental registration number, you cannot legally advertise on platforms like Airbnb, Booking or Vrbo. The removal of those listings is equivalent to losing all revenue from the asset.

• Revenue at risk: A tourist apartment in a medium-sized city can generate between 12,000 and 30,000 euros annually. Without a unique registration number, that revenue disappears.
• Compromised investments: Property owners and investors who acquired properties for tourist use after April 2025 may find themselves with an asset they cannot legally exploit without the favorable vote of the association.
• Risk of community blockade: Express authorization requires the agreement of the homeowners association, which can be difficult to obtain if there are neighbors opposed to tourist rental.
• Management cost: Calling extraordinary meetings, obtaining notarial certificates and managing the process has an economic and time cost that must be anticipated.

Who does it affect?

• Individual property owners who obtained a tourist license from April 3, 2025 onwards and do not yet have authorization from their association.
• Real estate investors who bought apartments for tourist rental and processed the license after the deadline.
• Managers and operators of tourist apartments who manage third-party properties with recent licenses.
• Real estate and legal advisors who assist clients in processing tourist licenses.
• Homeowners associations that receive requests for authorization for tourist rental activities.
• Property registrars who must apply this criterion when assigning the unique registration number.

Practical example

This is exactly the case resolved by the General Directorate of Legal Security: a property owner in Valencia obtained the registration resolution in the Tourism Registry of the Valencian Community on October 29, 2025, that is, six months after the deadline of April 3, 2025.

When requesting the assignment of the unique short-term rental registration number, the property registrar of Valencia no. 13 suspended the assignment for not having express authorization from the homeowners association. The property owner appealed arguing that the property was already registered as a tourist apartment and that the community bylaws allowed that use. The General Directorate dismissed the appeal, confirming that none of those arguments exempts from the requirement of express authorization when the license is after April 3, 2025.

Result: without express community authorization, the property owner cannot obtain the unique registration number and their listings on digital platforms may be removed.

What should property owners do now?

1. Verify the date of your tourist license: If you obtained the registration resolution in the tourism registry of your autonomous community from April 3, 2025 onwards, you are affected by this requirement.
2. Review your association bylaws: Although the bylaws allow tourist use, this does not replace the express authorization required by Organic Law 1/2025. You need both.
3. Call or request an owners meeting: Ask that express authorization for your property's tourist rental be included on the agenda. Get advice on the required quorum.
4. Obtain the minutes with the authorization: Formally document the association's agreement so you can prove it to the registrar when requesting the unique registration number.
5. Process the unique registration number: Once community authorization is proven, submit the application to the corresponding property registry to obtain the unique short-term rental registration number.
6. Do not publish listings without a unique registration number: Operating without the unique registration number exposes your listings to removal from digital platforms and may have additional consequences according to your autonomous community's tourism regulations.

Official source

View complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-14958