A few days ago I wrote a post in connection to the property market in Barcelona and the increase of holiday apartments in the city.  The Catalan Government has recently regulated the holiday rentals market and now allows holiday rentals as long as the owners comply with certain obligations. Unfortunately, the situation is different in other touristic places such as the Balearic Islands or the Canary Islands where there are several restrictions to holiday rentals. Take the case of Mallorca, for example. In Mallorca it is only possible to let out for short periods of time dettach and semidettached houses. This leaves apartments and terrace houses outside of the regulation and therefore unable to be let out on a short term basis. There are some exceptions with some apartments but these usually involve the whole building counting with a touristic licence.

When it comes to deattached and semidettached houses in Mallorca, these can be let out for holidays as long as a touristic licence has been obtained and the owner has complied with the following requirements:

– File the necessary declaration of commencement of activity (DRIAT)

– The property is let out for short periods of time that can never exceed the period of 2 months

– The property is let out in its entirety and not on a “per room” basis

– Cleaning and maintenance services are provided

Having said that, what happens if the owner of an apartment in Mallorca or Menorca wants to let it out for short periods of time to different occupiers and he does not have a licence? Well, in that case it would be better to let it on a long term basis. The income might be lower but at least there will be no fines or penalties for breaching the law.

The above applies to the Balearic Islands but each region in Spain has different rules and therefore not all regions face the same restrictions. As always, it is advisable to do some research before embarking on buying a holiday apartment, specially if the ulitmate intention is to let it for holidays.