Mi Piso TurísticoThe owner's guide to the Costa del Sol
Guides for owners

26 guides, in the order the questions come up

Each one answers a specific question, in plain language and with sources. If yours is missing, ask and we will write it.

Before you start

What you really earn, which flats work, tourist versus long-term rental and what it costs to get going.

  • How much would my flat really earn?What a studio, a 4-place or a 6-place flat in Torremolinos and Benalmádena takes in, what the platform, the cleaning and the manager keep, and what is left for you. With real revenue data from the Costa del Sol, not from statistics portals.

Licence and registration

What the VFT/VUT registration is, how it is processed, which documents are required, what it costs and what happens when you change manager or sell.

  • Can I rent my flat to tourists where it is?Before buying furniture or taking photos, check three things: the municipality, the owners' association and the flat itself. In Málaga city no new homes are admitted today; on the Costa del Sol they are, with conditions.
  • How is the licence processed?Digital certificate, the Junta's online office, the responsible declaration form (procedure 6631), the property annex and operating periods. What you see on screen and where people get stuck.
  • What if my municipality has a moratorium?A moratorium means the town hall stops admitting new tourist homes, across the whole city or in some neighbourhoods, while it reviews its urban plan. It does not affect homes already registered. On the Costa del Sol only Málaga city has one in 2026; how to check yours before spending a euro and what to do if it catches you.
  • What is the tourist licence and what is it for?It is not a licence someone grants you: it is a registration you make yourself, through a responsible declaration, with the Andalusian Tourism Registry. What the code VFT/MA/00000 means, who has to apply for it and what happens if you do not have it.

Owners' association

The three-fifths vote, how to ask for it, what extra they can charge you and what to do when a neighbour complains.

  • Can my owners' association ban it?Since 3 April 2025 it is not enough that they do not forbid it: the association must approve it by three fifths of owners and shares. Which votes count, what happens to homes that were already operating and what the association can do if you rent without permission.

The flat

Square metres per guest, beds, bathrooms, air conditioning, safety, first-aid kit, complaint forms and the equipment a guest expects.

  • What does the flat need to have?Square metres per place, beds, bathrooms, air conditioning and heating, ventilation, blackout, kitchen, safety, first-aid kit, complaint forms and tourist information. The full list from the Andalusian decree, explained so you can check your flat in half an hour.

Taxes

Income tax, deductible expenses, empty days, VAT, owners who live outside Spain and what the platforms already tell the tax office.

  • How much does the tax office take?The income goes on your tax return as income from real estate capital, the expenses for the rented days are deducted, there is no 60 % reduction and the empty days are taxed too. With a worked example for a 4-place flat.
  • I live outside Spain. What changes?Non-residents do not file the Spanish income tax return: they file form 210 for Non-Resident Income Tax. EU residents deduct expenses and pay 19 %; those from outside pay 24 % on the gross. And the empty days are declared too.
  • Do I have to charge guests VAT?An individual who rents their flat to tourists without hotel services does not charge VAT: the rental is exempt. There is only 10 % VAT if you provide hotel-type services during the stay. What counts as a hotel service and what does not.
  • What about the VAT on the Booking or Airbnb commission?Since 1 January 2023 the platform is the one that declares the VAT on its commission: it comes on the invoice with 21 %. You file no form for it (no 309, no ROI, no 349), you cannot deduct it because your rental is exempt, and you do subtract it on your income tax return as an expense. What to look for on the invoice and what changes with a manager.

Day to day

Traveller registration, cleaning, keys, prices, deposits, insurance, damage, parties, pets and reviews.

  • Do I have to register guests with the police?Yes, for every booking, through the Interior Ministry's SES.Hospedajes platform. What data is requested from each traveller over 14, the 24-hour deadline and how to do it without it being a chore.

Booking, Airbnb and others

What each portal charges, who should own the listing, photos, texts and why it pays to be on several.

  • Which platforms do I need to be on?Booking and Airbnb bring most of the bookings; Vrbo, Holidu, Expedia and Google Vacation Rentals bring other audiences and reduce dependence. What each contributes and how they are synchronised without double bookings.
  • Can I rent without going through Booking or Airbnb?A direct booking saves the platform's 15 %, but needs a website with a calendar and payment, protection against fraud and, above all, someone who finds it. What is realistic for one flat and for a portfolio.
  • What should the listing photos be like?Natural light, tidy, landscape, the terrace first and not a single collage. How many photos, in what order and why a €150 professional shoot is the best investment in the listing.
  • What do I write in the listing?A title with what sets the flat apart, a description that answers the guest's five questions, and a clear section on rules and arrival. In Spanish and English. With the licence code.
  • What commission does each platform charge?Booking, 15 % plus 1.30 % if it handles the payment; Airbnb, 15.5 % to the host (also on the cleaning); Vrbo, 8 % per booking or an annual subscription. What reaches your account from a €1,000 booking.
  • Who is the holder of the listing and the licence?They are two different things. The licence (holder of the operation with the Junta) is usually in the manager's name if they provide the services; the Booking and Airbnb listings can be in the owner's or the manager's name, and that choice decides who collects, who invoices and who keeps the reviews if you change manager.

The manager

What they do, what commission is normal, what the contract must include, how to change manager and the 20 questions to ask before signing.

  • What do I ask a manager before signing?The questions whose answers tell you whether the manager is serious: commission base, sample statement, listings, licence, cleaning team, 24-hour phone, insurance, lock-in and what happens when something goes wrong. Print them and take them to the meeting.
  • Channel manager or full management?The channel manager works remotely: listings, pricing and messages, for 8-12 %. Full management also puts someone on the ground (keys, cleaning, breakdowns, traveller registration) for 15-25 %. A table of what each does, what the owner pays, what the guest pays and what the manager pays.
  • Manager or do it myself?Managing it yourself saves the commission and costs 5 to 8 hours a week in season, living nearby and not travelling in August. At what revenue and in what situation each option pays off, with an example.
  • How do I change manager without losing the licence or the reviews?Notice, bookings in progress, change of holder with the Junta, listings and reviews, keys and final statement. The order in which to do it and the three points where money is lost if it is done badly.
  • How do I know if my manager is bad?Statements you cannot understand, listings that are not yours, expenses without invoices, fixed prices, falling reviews and a phone nobody answers. Ten signs, and what to do about each one.
  • What should the contract with the manager include?Commission and calculation base, statements, ownership of listings and licence, own use, expenses, insurance, duration and exit. And what you should not accept: long lock-in, exclusive listings without transfer and expenses without invoices.
  • What commission is normal and what should it include?On the Costa del Sol, between 15 and 20 % plus VAT, calculated on what the owner receives after the platform. What that commission should include, what is charged separately and how to compare two offers that look the same.
  • What does a manager do?Licence, listings, pricing, messages, keys, cleaning, traveller registration, maintenance, collections, statements, reviews and the three-in-the-morning call. What full management includes and what it does not.