The Mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, has announced a “comprehensive moratorium” that will halt the registration of new tourist accommodation across the entire city for the next three years.
This move marks another step in the city council’s efforts to curb the proliferation of holiday rentals. Just five months ago, the council banned new tourist licenses in 43 neighbourhoods where such properties account for more than 8% of the total housing stock. Now, the restriction will apply city-wide, with no further licences of this kind to be issued.
De la Torre plans to incorporate the moratorium into the city’s forthcoming General Urban Development Plan (PGOU), currently being drafted by the local government. One of the plan’s objectives is to obtain more accurate data on the number of tourist lets in Málaga. While approximately 13,000 properties are officially registered, the true number, including unlicensed holiday rentals, remains unclear.
1,400 more social houses
During his address, the Mayor of Málaga also announced that the City Council will adopt new housing measures recently approved by the Regional Government of Andalusia. These regulations allow for a 20% increase in the density of new developments, provided they are dedicated to constructing social housing. This measure opens the door to building 1,400 more homes than initially planned.
In the same vein, and in line with the regional government’s new decree-law, Málaga will allocate publicly owned land for protected housing development, as long as the land is not designated for educational or sports-related use.
These 1,400 additional homes will complement the nearly 2,500 units already under development by the Málaga City Council as part of the 2023–2027 Housing and Land Plan. However, this total remains far short of demand, with almost 35,000 people currently registered as seeking subsidised housing in the city.
Key insights from the applicant data reveal that 60% are seeking one-bedroom homes, 17% prefer two-bedroom properties and 11% are looking for three-bedroom units. The remaining 12% are in search of homes with four or more bedrooms. Notably, around half of all applicants fall within the 35 to 65 age bracket.
Málaga gives the green light to construct a new marina
The Port of Málaga has given the final approval for La Marina de San Andrés, a new marina covering nearly 115,000 m², to be built in the Huelin neighbourhood, just a few minutes’ walk from the city centre.
Malaga leads Spain’s luxury market with 30% of listings
The province of Málaga has firmly established itself as the leading hub of Spain’s luxury residential market. According to a recent report by the real estate agency Lucas Fox, the Costa del Sol accounts for 30% of the country’s premium properties, with Mallorca following at 27%.