Your hotel or holiday rental pool: safety, lifeguards and water quality in Spain (Andalusia), Portugal, Italy and Greece (2026)

Updated: 9 November 2026

A pool sells rooms, but it also brings duties: water tests, notices, sometimes a lifeguard. And guests ask AI assistants "does it have a heated pool?" or "is it open in October?". This is what we checked in each country's official gazettes and government websites (links at the end). This is not legal advice: where we could not confirm something we say so, and you should check it with your pool technician, your town hall or your adviser.

First: what kind of pool do you have?

In Spain, Royal Decree 742/2013 and Andalusian Decree 485/2019 use two groups:

Public use, type 2: the pool is an extra service alongside another activity. The Andalusian decree gives hotel and tourist accommodation pools as examples. All the rules apply.
Private use: for the owner's or occupant's family and guests. Type 3A covers residents' communities and rural houses; type 3B, single-family pools.
In Andalusia, pools at holiday homes (viviendas con fines turísticos) count as private use, with a lighter regime (see below).

Spain: what Royal Decree 742/2013 requires

For public-use pools, such as a hotel pool:

A routine check every day, in the morning before opening, to confirm treatment is working.
A periodic check at least once a month.
A written self-monitoring protocol kept at the pool for staff and inspectors: treatment, cleaning, maintenance, safety, pests and suppliers.
Water values (Annex I): pH between 7.2 and 8.0 and free residual chlorine between 0.5 and 2.0 mg/l. The pool must close if pH falls below 6.0 or rises above 9.0, or if there is no chlorine or more than 5 mg/l.
Public information (art. 14): latest test results, chemicals used, whether there is a lifeguard, numbers for the nearest health centre and emergencies, and the pool rules.
Serious incidents (drowning, spinal injuries, poisoning...) must be investigated and reported to the health authority.
Annual data to the Ministry of Health's SILOE system before 30 April.

Andalusia: hotels (Decree 485/2019)

A hotel pool is type 2 and falls fully under the regulation:

A qualified lifeguard if the water surface is 200 m² or more, during all opening hours: 200 to 500 m², one; 501 to 1,000 m², two; above that, one more per 500 m² or part.
All pools are added together except paddling pools, which count if the total is under 200 m². If pools are too far apart to watch properly, one lifeguard per pool.
Internal rules posted at the entrance and inside, with the art. 14 information and a ban on animals (except guide dogs).
A self-monitoring protocol on site. Incidents go to the regional health office within 5 days, on the Annex VII form.
Before opening a new pool: plans to the town hall (with a health report) and notice of start of operation; an inspection follows.
Penalties refer to the general health laws; we do not quote amounts because they depend on the breach.

Andalusia: holiday homes

Art. 3.2 of Decree 485/2019 applies a lighter regime to pools used only by a holiday home:

Water quality and treatment (arts. 5 to 7 of the decree and arts. 5, 6, 7 and 10 of Royal Decree 742/2013).
Pool design: in new pools, a protected bottom drain with two outlets to prevent entrapment (art. 4).
Reporting serious incidents (art. 13 of the Royal Decree).
Informing guests about chemicals, whether there is a lifeguard, emergency numbers and the pool rules (art. 14 d, e and f).
A pest assessment at least once a year and always before the season (art. 11.2).
The lifeguard article (17.10) is not among those art. 3.2 applies to these homes. If your pool is shared with other homes or the public, check your case.

Portugal (Algarve): scattered rules

We did not find one national law for hotel pools. What we read:

A presentation by the Portuguese Quality Institute (IPQ) cites, for tourist developments, Ordinance 358/2009 (art. 5(3)): the pool must have equipment that guarantees water quality. It also cites the Legionella law (Law 52/2018) and standard NP 4542:2017.
Regulatory Decree 5/97 applies to water parks.
Directive CNQ 23/93 covers hotels and tourist complexes and excludes family pools and condominiums of up to 20 homes. It asks for at least one pool attendant up to 200 m² and one more per extra 500 m²; pH 6.9 to 8.0; free chlorine 0.5 to 1.2 mg/l (pH 6.9-7.4) or 1.0 to 2.0 mg/l (pH 7.5-8.0); checks twice a day and a lab test each month. We have not confirmed whether it is binding or a technical reference.
Lifeguards (nadador-salvador): Law 68/2014 regulates the profession. We have not confirmed whether it applies to hotels or local accommodation (the official gazette site did not open).
Algarve municipal rules: not confirmed; ask your câmara municipal.

Italy: it depends on the region

There is no national law in force. The State-Regions Agreement of 16 January 2003 applies, implemented by each region with its own resolutions.
The Government tabled a framework bill on 11 August 2025 (A.C. 2576). It is not in force.
Example, Emilia-Romagna (DGR 1092/2005): at tourist accommodation pools a lifeguard may be omitted only if the pool is under 100 m² and no deeper than 1.40 m, with two clear sides, adequate supervision and first-aid staff available.
In that region: a self-monitoring plan kept at the pool, records for 2 years and rules posted at the entrance (depth, no diving without suitable structures, shower, hours, under-12s accompanied).
Other regions: not confirmed; ask your ASL or Comune.

Greece: lifeguards by rooms and depth

Ministerial decision 6584/2024 (Government Gazette B' 2213/11-4-2024), under art. 46 of Law 4688/2020, says:

Properties with more than 50 rooms and at least one pool deeper than 1.5 m: a qualified lifeguard at the pool, in swimwear, for the whole shift, with no other duties.
Fewer than 50 rooms, pools shallower than 1.5 m, rooftop, indoor or children's pools: the lifeguard may be on standby within the property, ready to step in at once.
A children's pool not next to another supervised pool: the lifeguard must be in that area.
A pool for the guests of a single room or apartment (a villa, for example): the law text we saw exempts it and asks for posted rules, but we only read this in a private compilation, not the official gazette.
Water quality and fines: not confirmed.

How to publish your pool for Google, Booking and AI

AI assistants answer from what they find written down. Say the same thing everywhere:

On your website, in text: outdoor or indoor, heated or not, season dates, hours, depth, whether there is a lifeguard and a children's area.
In structured data: schema.org defines amenityFeature for Hotel, LodgingBusiness and Accommodation, with a LocationFeatureSpecification. Example: {"@type": "LocationFeatureSpecification", "name": "Heated outdoor pool", "value": true}.
On Google: lodging data has pool fields (pool, indoor, outdoor, number of pools, wading pool, adults-only, hot tub and lifeguard). There is no "heated" field: say it in the description. If it only opens in summer, Google accepts the "depends on season" exception.
On Booking.com: type (indoor or outdoor), heated, all year or seasonal, opening hours, allowed ages and whether it is fenced.
If the pool closes in winter, say so clearly: it prevents bad reviews and cancellations.

10-minute check

Measure the water surface of all your pools and add it up.
Check that the notice with rules, chemicals, lifeguard yes or no and emergency numbers is visible.
Check the daily pH and chlorine log is up to date.
Book the pest assessment before the season.
Check your website, Google and Booking say the same about the pool and its dates.

How iQuota helps

iQuota does not inspect pools or give legal advice. We publish your property in AI assistants with direct booking and payment at the property, with your facilities, including the pool, described clearly and consistently. We cannot promise an AI will recommend you, but we can make sure it reads correct data.

Want an official booking page AI can read and a connector with your real prices, commission-free? The first 30 hotels join free until 30 June 2027.

See the Founding Hotels programme

Frequently asked questions

Does my hotel pool in Andalusia need a lifeguard?

Yes, if the total water surface is 200 m² or more: one up to 500 m² and two up to 1,000 m² (art. 17.10 of Decree 485/2019).

What chlorine and pH levels does Spain require?

pH between 7.2 and 8.0 and free residual chlorine between 0.5 and 2.0 mg/l (Annex I, Royal Decree 742/2013), checked daily before opening.

When must a Greek hotel have a lifeguard at the pool?

With more than 50 rooms and a pool deeper than 1.5 m, the lifeguard must be at the pool with no other duties (decision 6584/2024).

Sources

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