Buying to let: tourist rentals in the Comunitat Valenciana and their licences

It is one of the ideas that reaches me most often: 'I will buy a flat near the sea and let it to tourists when I am not using it, so that it covers its own costs.' The instinct is sound, but the order is usually back to front. The first thing is not the property, nor the furniture, nor the photos for the listing: the first thing is to find out whether that flat, in that specific municipality, can be used for tourist letting. And today, that is not an automatic yes.

Let me map it out for you, step by step. There is a regional (Valencian) layer of registration, a national layer that the Supreme Court has just curtailed, a municipal layer that often proves decisive, and a tax bill that, as a non-resident, you declare yourself. If you understand this before you buy, you avoid the risk of buying a property on the assumption of a rental return that cannot lawfully be obtained.

First of all: does the municipality allow it?

Here is an important point that is easily overlooked when a property is being shown. The viability of a tourist let does not depend solely on Valencian regulations: it depends, to a large extent, on the municipality where the property is located. Many town councils on the Costa Blanca — Alicante, Benidorm, Calp, Dénia and others — are approving their own zoning rules, caps or moratoria that restrict or suspend new viviendas de uso turístico (tourist-use dwellings) in certain areas or buildings. That is why I cannot simply tell you 'yes, you can': you have to check the ordinance and the planning scheme (PGOU) in force in that specific municipality, street by street.

This is not a minor formality to be sorted out later. To register a tourist-use dwelling you need a municipal urban-planning compatibility report (informe de compatibilidad urbanística) confirming that this use is permitted there (in some cases it can be replaced by an equivalent document from an accredited planning entity). And the 2024 Valencian reform tied the issuing of those reports to the municipal plan being zoned and expressly contemplating tourist dwellings. In plain terms: if the town hall has closed the door in that area, the rest of the paperwork will not allow registration.

The regional layer: the Comunitat Valenciana tourism registry

The Valencian framework is set by Ley 15/2018 on tourism, leisure and hospitality, developed by Decreto 10/2021. But the rules changed with Decreto-ley 9/2024, in force since 8 August 2024. It is worth bearing in mind because this is a fast-moving area, and it is sensible to confirm the detail in your own case. The essentials that reform introduced:

• A stricter concept of tourist-use dwelling (VUT): a property counts as a VUT when it is let as a whole, for a period of 10 consecutive days or fewer to the same guest, for tourism purposes. Letting by the room or for longer periods follows a different route.
• Compulsory registration in the Comunitat Valenciana tourism registry, with a registration code, and renewal every 5 years (those already registered by the date the Decreto-ley was published — 7 August 2024 — remain valid for 5 years from its entry into force, that is, until 8 August 2029).
• An individual cadastral reference and the owner's NIF (tax number) are mandatory; their absence is grounds for removal.

Registration is normally processed by a responsible declaration (declaración responsable) before Turisme Comunitat Valenciana, attaching the municipal planning compatibility report and the property's documentation (an occupancy certificate or another document evidencing habitability, depending on the case). It is not a one-off formality: the registration must be kept up to date.

The national layer: what remains after the Supreme Court annulled the single registry

In 2025 a national layer was added that is worth explaining properly, because it has just changed. Real Decreto 1312/2024 had created a Single Rentals Registry (Registro Único de Arrendamientos) at national level, linked to the Land Registry, with a registration number without which, in principle, you could not advertise the accommodation on the platforms (Airbnb, Booking and the like) since 1 July 2025. The Supreme Court has since annulled that provision. The judgment of the Administrative Litigation Chamber No. 620/2026, of 19 May (handed down in the appeal brought by the Generalitat Valenciana), held that the State lacked the power to create that single registry, because it encroached on regional powers over housing and tourism and duplicated the tourism registries the regions already had.

What does this mean in practice? That the single national registry number is no longer required to advertise: for that purpose, your regional tourism registry number (the Comunitat Valenciana tourism registry) is valid. That said, not all of the Real Decreto fell. The Supreme Court kept the Digital Single Window for Rentals (Ventanilla Única Digital de Arrendamientos) and the platforms' obligations to transmit data, as a coordination tool between administrations. And Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 on short-term rental data, applicable since 20 May 2026, remains fully in force — it is the European framework for that exchange of information. Since this is an area that has moved a great deal in a short time, it is worth confirming the exact position at the time of your transaction.

And once you are letting: how it is taxed when you are non-resident

Your tourist rental income is taxed in Spain under the Non-Resident Income Tax Act (TRLIRNR), declared using the modelo 210 (the non-resident tax return) before the Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT). The rate and whether you can deduct expenses depend on your country of residence, so that part is best calculated for your specific case. As for VAT, the general rule is that tourist-dwelling letting is exempt; it only becomes liable if you provide services typical of the hotel industry (cleaning during the stay, periodic change of linen, reception, catering, etc.). If you only hand over the keys and provide no other services, there is usually no VAT; if you move closer to a hotel service, the picture changes.

Buying to let on the Costa Blanca can be a sound investment when the legal checks are done first, because the real return starts with a legal question, not the price per square metre. Before you sign anything, I can review your specific case: I check the municipality and its rules, confirm whether the property can be registered as a tourist dwelling, and tell you which taxes you will really face. That is how you buy with the numbers done properly.