Limits on new tourist rentals in Seville and the Costa de la Luz in 2026

Updated 8 November 2026

Before buying or converting a flat for tourist rental in Seville or on the Costa de la Luz, check whether it is allowed. This guide sums up the situation as of 8 November 2026, with sources at the end. Anything that comes only from the press is flagged. It is not legal advice: for a specific case, ask a lawyer or your town hall.

The short answer

Opening a new tourist rental is harder today than two years ago:

In Seville city, no new ones are authorised in 11 neighbourhoods of the old town and Triana, which already exceed 10% tourist rentals.
Andalusian town halls can cap the number per building or area (Decree 31/2024) and suspend new licences for up to 3 years (Decree-Law 1/2025).
A municipal licence or declaration is needed before registering in the Andalusian Tourism Register.
Since 3 April 2025, in a building with an owners' association, its express approval by 3/5 is required.

What the Andalusian government allows

Two rules give town halls tools to limit:

Decree 31/2024 (BOJA no. 24, 2-2-2024): they can set a maximum number of tourist rentals per building, sector, area, period or zone.
The same decree raised minimum requirements: 14 m² built per guest (minimum 25 m²), cooling if rented from May to August and heating if rented from December to March.
Decree-Law 1/2025 of 24 February (BOJA no. 41, 3-3-2025): residential use is no longer enough; planning must allow tourist use and a municipal licence or declaration is required.
The town hall can suspend licences for new tourist rentals across the municipality or in areas, for up to 3 years.
Beware of guides giving other months for air conditioning: the BOJA says May–August and December–March.

Seville city: the 10% cap per neighbourhood

According to the city's Planning Department, the council approved the cap on 17 October 2024 (Seville Provincial Gazette no. 210, 28-10-2024), in force since 29 October 2024:

Maximum: 10% of family homes in each of the 108 neighbourhoods.
No new authorisations (already above 10%): Santa Cruz, Arenal, Alfalfa, San Bartolomé, Feria, Encarnación-Regina, Santa Catalina, San Lorenzo, San Gil, San Vicente and Triana Casco Antiguo.
Controlled growth (between 5% and 10%): San Julián, El Museo and San Bernardo.
In the other 94 neighbourhoods, authorisations are possible until reaching 10%.
The agreement provides for a review after one year and then every 4 years; we found no approved review.

Seville: lodging use

Since the 2022 change to the city plan (PGOU), a tourist rental in Seville needs tertiary lodging use, with planning requirements similar to hotels and apartments (Planning Department circular). According to the press, an extraordinary regularisation period opened in December 2025 for rentals registered before October 2024 that had not changed use; we have not confirmed it in the Provincial Gazette.

Costa de la Luz: Chiclana, El Puerto and Cádiz

All three have measures published in the Cádiz Provincial Gazette (BOP); anything that comes only from the press or from council notes is flagged:

Chiclana: suspension of licences and authorisations for new tourist rentals in the Historic Quarter (ZSUH 01) and the Traditional Extension (ZSUH 02), for 3 years from publication (local government board, 21-3-2025; BOP de Cádiz no. 84, 7-5-2025). Exceptions: full refurbishment with a prior major works licence, and new builds in the Historic Quarter.
El Puerto de Santa María: suspension of new tourist rental licences across the municipality (BOP de Cádiz no. 79, 29-4-2025). According to the press, for up to 3 years while its new general plan is drafted.
Cádiz city: a plan change in force since October 2022 only allows tourist rentals inside the old walls in listed buildings of level 0 and 1, and outside the walls only on the ground, first and second floors.
Cádiz city, 2025: the council on 13-5-2025 gave initial approval to Amendment no. 9 of the city plan (PGOU), which regulates tourist rentals on residential land (BOP de Cádiz no. 105, 5-6-2025, notice 82,344). According to council notes, it suspends the registration of new tourist rentals across the city; we could not read the notice itself, so the exact duration is not confirmed.
In Tarifa, Conil, Vejer and Barbate (Zahara de los Atunes) we found no approved suspensions or caps. Check your town hall's e-office before investing.

The owners' association

Organic Law 1/2025 amended the Horizontal Property Act with effect from 3 April 2025:

Anyone wanting to use a flat for tourist rental needs the association's prior express approval (Article 7.3).
The majority is 3/5 of all owners representing 3/5 of the shares (Article 17.12).
Resolutions are not retroactive: rentals that were already operating legally keep their status.
Even so, the association can limit or condition the activity with the same majority.

Before opening a new one

A short checklist:

Ask the planning office whether your plot allows tourist use and whether there is a suspension or cap in your area.
Get the municipal licence or declaration before registering in the Andalusian Tourism Register.
For a flat in a shared building, put the item on the owners' meeting agenda and keep the minutes.
Check the size, climate-control and equipment requirements of the updated Decree 28/2016.

Why this also matters for AI

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How iQuota helps

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Frequently asked questions

Can new tourist flats open in central Seville in 2026?

Not in 11 neighbourhoods of the old town and Triana, which already exceed the 10% cap approved in October 2024. In the rest, only until reaching 10%.

Do I need the owners' association's permission for a tourist flat?

Yes, since 3 April 2025 its express approval by 3/5 of owners and shares is required.

Can an Andalusian town hall suspend tourist rental licences?

Yes. Decree-Law 1/2025 allows suspending them across the municipality or in areas, for up to 3 years.

Sources

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