Start with your rental plans
If you are buying to rent out, tell your agent at the start of your search. This is especially important if tourist rentals will be a business or a major part of your income plan. Your intended use helps shape the locations, developments and individual properties worth considering.
You might want regular rental income, a property you can enjoy for part of the year, or a combination of both. Explain your preferred guests or tenants, your own holiday dates and how involved you want to be in managing it.
This guide covers the Costa Blanca, in Alicante province, Spain. Your agent helps you compare suitable options; your independent lawyer checks the intended rental use before you commit. The regional requirements here apply to the Valencian Community; properties in neighbouring Murcia need a separate check.
Choose the rental model that fits your plans
Long-term residential rental
The property becomes the tenant’s main residence. Consider everyday services, transport and a practical layout. The contract and the tenant’s rights need to fit this use.
Seasonal rental
A tenancy for a genuine temporary need, such as a work placement or a winter stay. Ask your lawyer to document the reason and use the correct contract.
Tourist rental
Short holiday stays, with frequent arrivals and departures. Plan for guest support, cleaning and the tourist-rental requirements for the specific property.
In the Valencian Community, the tourist-property category covers paid tourist stays of up to 10 consecutive days with the same guest, in the whole property. A longer booking falls outside that category, but the tenancy still needs to follow the rules for its actual purpose.
Sources: Spain’s Urban Leases Act, Articles 2, 3 and 5, and the Generalitat’s tourist-rental FAQs.
Check tourist rental use before you reserve
A property’s rental appeal and permission to let it are separate checks. Ask your agent to raise your plans with the developer or seller, then have your lawyer confirm the position for the exact property.
The town hall
Tourist letting requires a favourable municipal planning-compatibility report or equivalent, plus any other local authorisations that apply. Check the current position for the address, including any local restrictions on new tourist rentals.
The community of owners
For a new tourist-rental activity in a property governed by Spain’s Horizontal Property Act, prior express community approval is required. The vote needs three-fifths of all owners and ownership shares. Your lawyer should review the statutes and recorded agreements, including any restrictions or applicable transitional rights.
The property and its registration
The Valencian registration process includes occupancy or equivalent documents, required facilities, liability insurance and a declaration of compliance. Registration generally lasts five years, with transitional exceptions. Your lawyer or appointed specialist can confirm the documents, renewal position and steps needed before operating.
If tourist letting is essential to your purchase, resolve its feasibility before paying a reservation. Ask your lawyer what the agreement should say if an essential approval is still outstanding.
New build or resale: what changes?
Furnished new-build interior · Pilar de la Horadada, Costa Blanca.
Buying a new build
Modern layouts, energy features and new fittings may suit your rental plans. Discuss furnishing, practical storage, internet and the expected readiness of shared facilities.
New-build status does not itself give permission for tourist letting. For an off-plan purchase, ask what is confirmed now and what can only be completed later. Allow time after handover for preparation and the required approvals.
Buying a resale
You can assess the finished property and established surroundings, and ask for evidence of any previous rental activity.
An existing tourist registration should not be assumed to transfer automatically. In the Valencian Community, a change of owner requires a new declaration and a favourable municipal report or equivalent under the rules then in force.
Ask your agent and a local rental manager about demand throughout the year. Compare walking distances, beaches or golf, parking, lift access, outdoor space and running costs. The most useful features depend on the people you hope to attract.
For an existing rental, ask for booking and cost records where available. For a new development, use comparable properties and ask how the estimate was prepared. Past results and forecasts are a guide, not a promise of future income.
Look at income after costs
Start with a realistic annual estimate from a local rental manager. Ask for different occupancy scenarios and allow for the weeks you will use the property yourself. A peak-summer weekly rate does not tell you what the property will earn over a full year.
- Getting ready: purchase taxes and fees, furniture, equipment, preparation and any professional or registration costs.
- Regular ownership costs: community fees, IBI property tax, waste charges, insurance, utilities and maintenance.
- Letting costs: management, platform fees, cleaning, laundry, guest support and replacing worn items.
- A working reserve: quieter periods, repairs and unexpected expenses.
Estimated rent minus operating costs gives you a clearer picture of the income before financing and tax. Then include mortgage payments and your own tax position when planning cash flow.
Ask a tax adviser how your residence status, ownership arrangements and services affect the rental. Tourist letting without hotel-style services is normally exempt from IVA; providing those services can change the treatment. Cleaning between bookings alone is not considered a hotel-style service.
For the purchase itself, see the taxes and purchase-fee estimate in our buyer’s guide.
Decide who will manage the rental
If you live abroad, a local manager can handle bookings, arrivals, cleaning, maintenance and guest questions. Ask for a written service list and fees, including IVA where applicable. Confirm who deals with emergencies and who approves repairs.
For tourist letting, agree who handles the required guest-information reporting through SES.HOSPEDAJES, keeps the relevant records and manages personal data. Confirm responsibilities even when a management company does the work.
Online listings: check the current requirements
The national rental-registration procedure introduced by Royal Decree 1312/2024 was annulled by Supreme Court judgments in 2026. Older checklists may therefore be out of date. Before advertising, have your adviser check the current legal and platform requirements, alongside the Valencian tourist registration and municipal permissions.
Bring these questions to your first conversation
- Do I want tourist stays, seasonal tenants or a long-term tenancy?
- Will I use the property myself, and during which months?
- Which locations and property types suit that plan?
- What rental-use checks need to be completed before I reserve?
- What income estimate and management quote can I obtain?
- Does the purchase still work for me if income is lower or the rental starts later?
Discussing this early gives your agent a clearer brief and helps you compare properties on the things that matter to your plans.
