📍 Province of Malaga
Holiday rental software in Malaga
The province of Malaga has more than half of the registered tourist homes in Andalusia, and its capital has tightened the rules the most. This is what you need to know if you own or manage holiday rentals in Malaga and on the Costa del Sol.
What you need to know in Malaga
Malaga city: no new registrations since August 2025
The City Council suspended new tourist homes across the whole municipality for up to 3 years, from publication in the provincial gazette (BOP) on 22 August 2025, while it amends its zoning plan (art. 6.2 of Decree-Law 1/2025).
Before: 43 neighbourhoods closed and independent access
From June 2024 only tourist homes with an entrance and services independent from the rest of the building were accepted, and from January 2025 no new ones were accepted in 43 neighbourhoods where they exceeded 8% of homes.
2026: lodging out of residential land
On 16 July 2026 the City Council initially approved a zoning plan amendment that makes lodging use incompatible with residential zoning, suspending non-compliant licences for up to 3 years from its publication in the BOP.
Official figures
88,963 tourist homes registered in the province and 12,608 in the city (October 2026). INE counted 45,176 listings in the province and 8,288 in the city in May 2026. Malaga's registration numbers have passed 100,000, so there are six-digit VUT/MA codes.
Source: INE, tourist dwellings by province (May 2026) · Junta de Andalucía, Tourism Register open data (OpenRTA)
Cancelled registrations
The Junta cancelled 3,426 tourist home registrations in the province of Malaga in 2024 and the first half of 2025, the highest figure in Andalusia.
The Costa del Sol has demand all year round, peaking in summer and Easter; in the city, cruises, conferences and weekend breaks also matter.
Rules common to all of Andalusia
On top of each municipality's own rules, every tourist home in Andalusia has these obligations.
Registration in the Andalusian Tourism Register
Before renting you must file a responsible declaration with the Junta, using a digital certificate. The home gets a code in the format VUT/MA/ plus a number, which must appear in all advertising, including Airbnb or Booking. Old VFT codes remain valid: only the letters change.
Source: Junta de Andalucía: Tourism Register FAQ · Junta de Andalucía: from VFT to VUT (PDF)
Minimum requirements for the home
Since Decree 31/2024: at least 14 m² built per guest place, air conditioning in bedrooms and living room if rented from May to August, heating if rented from December to March, and two bathrooms from 6 places (three from 9).
Town councils can set limits
They can cap the number of tourist homes per building or area (Decree 31/2024) and, while they change their zoning plan, suspend new registrations in the whole municipality or in specific areas for up to 3 years (art. 6 of Decree-Law 1/2025).
Source: Decree 31/2024 (BOJA no. 24, 2 February 2024) · Decree-Law 1/2025 (BOJA no. 41, 3 March 2025)
Zoning compatibility in the declaration
Since March 2025 the responsible declaration includes the cadastral reference, the home's zoning compatibility and, where required, the owners' association's authorisation. One home per cadastral reference.
Guest registration within 24 hours
Every booking and every traveller must be reported to the Ministry of the Interior through SES.Hospedajes within 24 hours, and the data are kept for 3 years.
Source: Royal Decree 933/2021 (BOE) · SES.Hospedajes, Ministry of the Interior
National Single Register, annulled
In 2026 the Supreme Court annulled the Single Rental Register of Royal Decree 1312/2024 and its mandatory number. The Andalusian Tourism Register is still mandatory.
Source: Supreme Court ruling of 19 May 2026 (BOE, 8 June 2026)
No tourist tax
As of October 2026 there is no tourist tax in Andalusia. The regional president would only consider one if a national law provides a common framework.
How Apartop helps you in Malaga
Online check-in and SES.Hospedajes guest registration
Your guests check in from their phone, sign the check-in form and Apartop generates the guest registration for SES.Hospedajes. For holiday homes in Andalusia.
Learn more →
Automatic guest registration to SES.Hospedajes
When the guest completes check-in, Apartop sends the guest registration through the official SES.Hospedajes web service, checks it is accepted and retries if it fails.
Learn more →
Andalusian Tourism Register VUT/VFT and Single Rental Register
Keep track of the Andalusian Tourism Register number (VUT/VFT, tourist apartments, rural houses, VTAR) and the Single Rental Register number of each apartment. Apartop reads them from your listings.
Learn more →
Cleaning management app for holiday rentals
Every check-out creates its cleaning and notifies the cleaner by Telegram or email. 14-day schedule, overloaded days, pay per clean or by the hour. For holiday rentals in Andalusia.
Learn more →
Software for holiday rental managers
Manage apartments for several owners with a team and permissions: who sees amounts, who handles bookings or cleaning and which apartments each person can access.
Learn more →
Sync Airbnb, Booking and VRBO calendars
One calendar for all your holiday rentals with bookings from Airbnb, Booking and VRBO. Block dates on the other platforms and avoid double bookings.
Learn more →
Frequently asked questions
Can I register a new holiday rental in Malaga city?
What about homes that were already registered?
What registration code does a tourist home in Malaga have?
Information reviewed in October 2026. Municipal rules change often: always confirm with your town council and the Junta de Andalucía before registering a home. This is not legal advice.
Manage your tourist homes in Malaga without the paperwork
Free for up to 2 apartments, no card. Online check-in, guest registration, calendar and cleaning in one app.
Start for free