Spain’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda has instructed online rental platforms to remove adverts for 86,275 illegal tourist and short-term rental properties across the country. Of these, 14,387 are located in the Valencian Community. The ministry says the homes applied for a mandatory registration number but did not meet the legal requirements needed for approval.

According to the department led by Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez, once platforms are formally notified, they are required to remove the listings. The ministry has warned that many of the properties may be advertised simultaneously on several platforms, increasing the importance of coordinated enforcement.

At a local level, Torrevieja stands out as one of the municipalities with the highest number of refused registrations. A total of 1,240 homes in the town have been denied authorisation for tourist use, placing it among the most affected areas nationally, alongside major cities and holiday destinations such as Madrid, Barcelona, Marbella and Seville.

Across Spain, 412,253 registration applications have been processed. Around 78 per cent relate to tourist rentals, while 22 per cent are for seasonal lets. Since July, all short-term rentals must hold an official registration code, issued by Property Registrars and shared with platforms through the Digital Single Window, to be marketed legally.