One in five holiday rentals in Spain lacks mandatory registration code

The Spanish Land Registry has received more than 400,000 applications from property owners seeking a Unique Rental Registration Number (NRUA) for short-term rental properties. Mandatory since 1 July, this requirement applies to tourist, short-term and room rentals. Properties without this code cannot be listed on digital platforms.

According to the latest official figures, dated 8 January, 299,754 properties have already been granted an NRUA, while a further 16,581 hold a provisional code. However, 84,250 applications have been revoked. As a result, 21 out of every 100 applications submitted to date – out of a total of 400,362 – have been rejected.

Land Registry data shows that the majority of applications relate to tourist accommodation, with 289,754 registrations, representing 72% of the total. Short-term rentals account for the second-largest group, with 58,902 applications (14.7%), followed by rooms for rent, which make up 12.9% of the total. This category includes both tourist (22,031) and non-tourist (29,675) room rentals.

Andalusia is the region with the highest number of applications, as well as the most approved and revoked codes. It leads the national ranking with more than 90,000 of the 400,000 applications submitted nationwide, including 66,643 definitive approvals, nearly 2,900 provisional codes, and 21,294 rejections. Catalonia ranks second in total applications (74,191) and definitive codes (58,446), while the Valencian Community records the second-highest number of revoked applications (14,138).

The Canary Islands, Madrid, the Balearic Islands and Galicia follow as the most prominent regions, while Extremadura is the only autonomous community with fewer than 1,000 definitively approved applications, alongside the autonomous cities of Ceuta (20 definitive codes) and Melilla (7).

By province, Málaga leads the country with more than 36,000 definitive codes and a further 10,327 revocations, followed closely by Alicante (35,916 definitive approvals and 8,309 rejections) and Barcelona (30,092 definitive codes and 6,709 denials). Madrid, with 18,899 authorised units, ranks behind Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (20,962) but ahead of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (17,693) and the Balearic Islands (16,672).

Why applications get rejected

The purpose of this identifier is to enable authorities to monitor and oversee short-term rental activity. While there is no deadline for landlords to apply for the code, properties cannot be listed on digital platforms involving financial transactions until it has been granted.

The Land Registrars cite the following as the most common reasons for rejecting the application: missing valid tourist accommodation licence, not having the required three-fifths approval from the homeowners’ association, or the property being classified as protected housing, which may only be used as a primary residence. Other grounds include applications submitted by someone other than the property owner or cases where the property registration has not been properly recorded.

When registrars request additional documentation from owners, the most common reasons include the failure to submit a tourist accommodation licence or the required responsible declaration, as well as cases where the homeowners’ association has not yet decided whether tourist rentals are permitted in the building.

It should be noted that applications for the registration number must be accompanied by the relevant documentation, including the cadastral reference and full address of the property, the rental model (entire property or by rooms), the maximum occupancy, and proof of compliance with the requirements set by each autonomous community to operate this type of rental.

Registrars also confirm that in recent months they have received a high number of appeals against the refusal of short-term rental registrations; however, in most cases, these appeals have been resolved in the registrars’ favour.

"It has been a success"

On 2 December, Rosario Jiménez took office as dean of the College of Registrars for the next four years, succeeding María Emilia Adán García, who had held the post for eight years.

In her presentation to the media, Jiménez defended the introduction of the single rental registry, describing it as “a success following months of intensive work”.

According to the new dean, the NRUA provides greater oversight of short-term rentals and, in the case of tourist accommodation, “ensures that the service is offered in compliance with the law”. Jiménez explained that the system is designed to guarantee that “citizens can be confident the property exists, that there is no fraud affecting their interests, and that the service is being provided by the legitimate owner – controls that did not exist previously and which have now resolved many problems.”