Fire safety in hotels, hostels, apartments and holiday rentals in Spain and Andalusia: what the rules require in 2026

Updated: 10 November 2026

Extinguishers, servicing, fire detection, evacuation plans, self-protection plans: what actually applies to you, depending on whether you run a hotel, a hostel, a tourist apartment or a holiday home? We read Spain's fire protection installations regulation (Royal Decree 513/2017, known as RIPCI), the fire safety section of the Technical Building Code (CTE DB-SI), the new Basic Self-Protection Directive published in the BOE in October 2026 and the Andalusian tourism rules (Decree-Law 13/2020, Decree 194/2010 and Decree 28/2016). Links are at the end. Where we could not confirm something, we say so. This is not technical or legal advice: for your building, ask an authorised fire protection maintenance company and the architect or engineer who signed, or will sign, your project.

The short answer

In November 2026, based on what we read:

All extinguishers and fire protection installations are serviced under the RIPCI (Royal Decree 513/2017): you check extinguishers every three months and an authorised maintenance company does the annual service (annex II).
Every five years, an extinguisher pressure test (timbrado); the regulation allows a maximum of three re-tests.
Hotels, hostels and tourist apartments are not on the list of exemptions from periodic inspection: an accredited inspection body at least every ten years (art. 22). Homes are exempt («uso residencial vivienda»).
The CTE DB-SI classes hotels, hostels, guesthouses and tourist apartments as «Residencial Público» (public residential use); above 500 m² of built area it requires fire detection and alarm.
Royal Decree 393/2007 on self-protection stopped applying on 10-10-2026: it is replaced by a Basic Directive that no longer has a specific entry for hotels.
Andalusia: a holiday home needs an extinguisher, a smoke detector near the kitchen and a first-aid kit (Decree 28/2016); a tourist apartment needs a first-aid kit and information on evacuation routes in each unit (Decree 194/2010).

Extinguishers and servicing (Royal Decree 513/2017, RIPCI)

The national regulation (BOE consolidated text, last amended 3 September 2025) says:

To put an installation into service you need a maintenance contract with a duly authorised maintenance company (art. 20(1)(b)).
Every three months, you or the company: each extinguisher is in its place with no visible damage. Every six months: its signage (annex II, table I).
Every year, the company: the «Annual Maintenance Programme» of standard UNE 23120 (table II).
Every five years: a level C pressure test (timbrado) under the Pressure Equipment Regulation, with a maximum of three re-tests (table II).
Keep maintenance records for at least five years (art. 21(2)).
Inspection by an accredited inspection body at least every ten years (art. 22(1)). Exempt uses include residential homes and shops or public premises under 500 m² (art. 22(2)); public residential use is not on that list.
Under the floor-area and single-family-home conditions of art. 9(2)(a), the user can install the extinguishers.
If you have detection and alarm: a functional check every three months and a test of every manual call point each year. If you have fire hose reels (BIE): signage and pressure every three months, an annual service, and hoses replaced at least every 20 years.

Hotels, hostels and apartments: the CTE DB-SI

The building code fire safety section applies when you design, refurbish or change use. What we read (2019 version):

«Residencial Público» use: temporary accommodation run by an operator other than the occupants; it «includes hotels, hostels, residences, guesthouses, tourist apartments, etc.» (annex SI A).
21A-113B extinguishers no more than 15 m away along the escape route on every floor, from every evacuation origin (SI 4, table 1.1).
Fire detection and alarm if the built area exceeds 500 m², with a visual as well as audible signal.
Fire hose reels (BIE) above 1,000 m² or where more than 50 people will be accommodated; dry riser if the evacuation height exceeds 24 m; automatic extinguishing above 28 m or 5,000 m².
Escape distances: up to 25 m with a single floor exit and up to 50 m with several, with exceptions (SI 3, table 3.1).
Signage of manual equipment follows the RIPCI.
Not confirmed: DB-SI changes after 2019 (the official site codigotecnico.org did not open). Your project and licence say what applies to you.

Self-protection plans: what changed in October 2026

Order INT/1068/2026 (BOE, 10 October 2026) publishes the new Basic Self-Protection Directive, in force since 11 October:

Royal Decree 393/2007 stops applying. Under it, a hotel needed a plan if its evacuation height was 28 m or more or its occupancy 2,000 people or more.
In the new Directive, «residencial público» means residential and day centres with 100 or more people who cannot evacuate unaided. We found no entry for hotels and the figure of 2,000 people does not appear.
Activities not listed in annex I develop their own protocols under their own rules (section 2.F); closed entertainment buildings with 1,000 or more people or 28 m of height are listed (1.E.1.1).
Authorities may set stricter thresholds: ask your town hall.
If you have a plan: review at least every five years, a drill at least once a year, and existing plans must be adapted within four years.
Not confirmed: how a hotel with large function rooms or events fits in; ask a self-protection specialist.

Andalusia: self-protection

Andalusian Decree 195/2007 is not a general self-protection plan rule: it governs occasional and extraordinary public shows and recreational activities. It may matter if you host that kind of event.
The regional government worked on an Andalusian self-protection rule from 2020; its file is listed as finished with an archiving record (2024), not approved.
We found no Andalusian catalogue of its own that applies to hotels: the national Directive and your town hall's rules apply. Not confirmed.

Andalusia: what the tourism rules require

On top of the above, which applies to everyone:

Hotels, hostales and pensiones (Decree-Law 13/2020, which repealed Decree 47/2004): no extinguisher, first-aid kit or evacuation plan requirements; it refers to sectoral rules (art. 3(1)), and the house rules must inform guests of risky facilities or services and the safety measures taken (art. 25(4)(e)). Gran Lujo requires first aid with a defibrillator (annex IV).
Tourist apartments (Decree 194/2010): a first-aid kit in every category (annex I, 5.6) and information in each unit on the evacuation routes for emergencies (art. 29(a)). It does not mention extinguishers: the RIPCI and DB-SI apply.
Holiday homes (Decree 28/2016): a first-aid kit, some type of smoke detector near the kitchen and an extinguisher (annex, letter d); an evacuation plan on the door if the building has one (art. 6(2)(d)); a 24-hour phone line (art. 6(2)(a)).
Smoke and CO detectors, fire blankets and what Airbnb and Booking.com ask for: see /smoke-alarm-co-detector-fire-extinguisher-holiday-rental-rules-2026.
What information to give guests (112, house rules): /guest-information-house-manual-emergency-numbers-2026.
Not confirmed: whether Decree 31/2024 changed these articles; we read the original text of Decree 194/2010.

Quick checklist

Contract with an authorised maintenance company and a valid label on every extinguisher.
Quarterly extinguisher checks logged; records kept for five years.
Pressure test at five years; ten-yearly inspection if you are a hotel, hostel or apartment.
Detection and alarm serviced if your project includes them (over 500 m² in public residential use).
Escape routes signposted and clear; evacuation information in every room or unit.
First-aid kit; in a holiday home, an extinguisher and a smoke detector near the kitchen.
Ask your town hall whether it requires a self-protection plan or protocols after the 2026 Directive.

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Frequently asked questions

How often must extinguishers in a hotel or holiday home be checked?

Under annex II of Royal Decree 513/2017: every three months, a visual check by you or the maintenance company; every year, a service by an authorised maintenance company (UNE 23120); every five years, a pressure test, with a maximum of three re-tests.

Does a hotel need a self-protection plan in 2026?

Under Royal Decree 393/2007, yes from 28 m of evacuation height or 2,000 people. Since 11-10-2026 a new Basic Directive applies that has no specific entry for hotels, but authorities may be stricter. Ask your town hall and a specialist.

Is an extinguisher mandatory in a holiday home in Andalusia?

Yes. The annex to Decree 28/2016 requires an extinguisher, some type of smoke detector near the kitchen and a first-aid kit. As a home it is exempt from the RIPCI ten-yearly inspection (art. 22(2)), but the extinguisher must still be serviced.

Sources

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