Whose name should the listings and the licence be in: the owner's or the manager's?
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.
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: two things must be kept apart. The licence (the registration with the Tourism Registry) has a holder of the operation: the Junta says it must be whoever provides the lodging services; if a manager hands over keys, cleans and looks after guests, it should be them. The listings on Booking and Airbnb have an account and a person who gets paid: they can be in the owner's name (the manager comes in as a collaborator and charges their commission separately) or the manager's (who collects everything and pays the owner). The second is more convenient; the first leaves you the control and the reviews if you change manager.
The licence: holder of the operation
According to the Junta de Andalucía, the holder is the owner if they manage directly, or the company that carries out the services inherent to lodging (reception, key handover, cleaning, guest service, invoicing) if it is a third party. A full-service manager should therefore appear as holder and file the declaration or the change of holder. The owner is still the owner; what changes is who answers to the Tourism authority. See Changing the licence holder.
The listings: two ways of working
| Listings in the owner's name | Listings in the manager's name | |
|---|---|---|
| Who collects from the platform | The owner, into their account | The manager, who pays the owner |
| Platform commission | Invoiced to the owner, with its 21 % VAT | Invoiced to the manager |
| Manager's commission | Separate invoice to the owner each month | Deducted on the statement |
| If you change manager | You keep the listing, the reviews and the ranking | The listing belongs to the manager; you start from scratch unless they transfer it |
| Data the tax office receives from the platform | In your name | In the manager's name |
| Work for the owner | A bit more: opening the account, providing the tax number and bank account, keeping the commission invoices for the tax return | Almost none |
| Transparency | Total: you see every booking in your account | Depends on the manager's statement |
Which is better?
It depends on what you value:
- Control and continuity: listings in your name. It is what protects the owner most in the long run, and what we do by default: the owner owns their listings and their reviews, and the manager works inside their account.
- Absolute convenience: the manager's listings. Valid if you trust them and if the contract says what happens to the listings at the end.
What to ask before signing?
- Whose name will the listings be in?
- If they are the manager's, what happens to them if I leave? Will they transfer them to me?
- Who appears as holder of the operation with the Junta?
- How do I see the bookings and the payments?
They are four of the 20 questions before signing with a manager.
Can listings be transferred?
Booking allows the holder of a property to be changed with a form (change of ownership or management); the reviews are kept. Airbnb does not allow a listing to be moved from one account to another: it can be "co-hosted" but the listing belongs to the account that created it. That is why, on Airbnb, having the listing in the owner's name is especially important.