How many people can your flat sleep: the 14 square metres per place rule
Divide the built square metres in the Cadastre by 14 and round down, with a minimum of 25 m². A 60 m² flat is 4 places, not 6. And there are more limits: bathrooms and places per room.
Reviewed on 22 September 2026 · By the team at Torremolinos Gestión Vacacional, more than ten years managing holiday rentals · Markdown version · Versión en español
Short answer: the maximum number of places is calculated from the built square metres recorded in the Cadastre: 14 m² per place, with a minimum of 25 m² for the home. Divide and round down. Then two more caps apply: 4 places per room and enough bathrooms (two if you exceed 5 places, three if you exceed 8). The lowest of the three results rules.
How is it calculated?
- Go to the Cadastre's electronic office and look up your home by cadastral reference or address.
- Note the built area of the home (not counting a garage space or storage room, which usually appear separately).
- Divide by 14 and keep the whole number.
| Built square metres | Maximum places by area |
|---|---|
| 25 – 41 m² | 2 |
| 42 – 55 m² | 3 |
| 56 – 69 m² | 4 |
| 70 – 83 m² | 5 |
| 84 – 97 m² | 6 |
| 98 – 111 m² | 7 |
| 112 – 125 m² | 8 |
A 35 m² studio is 2 places; a 75 m² flat is 5; to reach 6 places you need 84 built m².
What if my flat has more usable metres than built metres in the Cadastre?
The Cadastre rules. If you think the cadastral figure is wrong (it happens in old or renovated buildings), you can request a cadastral correction, but it is a separate, slow procedure. Do not declare more places than come out of the official figure: in an inspection it is the first thing checked.
Second cap: places per room
Maximum 4 per bedroom, and only if two of them are in a bunk bed; with separate beds, 2 per room. Sofa beds in the living room count as places (up to two). A 90 m² flat with a single bedroom does not reach 6 places even if the metres allow it: 2 in the bedroom (4 with a bunk bed) plus 2 in the living room.
Third cap: bathrooms
- Up to 5 places: 1 bathroom.
- From 6 to 8 places: 2 bathrooms.
- 9 or more: 3 bathrooms.
A 90 m² flat with three bedrooms and a single bathroom stays at 5 places, not 6. It is the cap that surprises most.
Can I declare fewer places than I am allowed?
Yes, and sometimes it is worth it: fewer places means less wear, less risk of groups and, in many cases, the same price per night. A two-bedroom flat registered for 4 rents better than for 6 with two sofa beds.
Can I increase the places later?
Yes, by communicating the change to the Junta with the communication form, always within the limits. What you cannot do is accommodate more people than registered: it is an offence and, besides, what annoys the neighbours most.
What about small children?
A baby in a cot does not usually count as a place on the platforms (Airbnb and Booking let you indicate "cot available"), but for the Junta the capacity is the declared places. To be prudent, do not accept bookings that exceed the registered number even if one of the occupants is two years old.