News · short-term rentals in Málaga
News for holiday rental owners in Málaga and the Costa del Sol
Regulation, market, platforms and tax, summarised in three lines and explained for your property. Weekly selection with the help of AI, reviewed by Brian.
10% VAT on holiday lets is now confirmed and applies from 1 December
Stays of up to 30 nights will no longer be VAT-exempt and will be taxed at 10% from 1 December. This affects almost every holiday let in Málaga: pricing, invoices and tax returns.
- Check your nightly rates from 1 December: if your prices already include taxes, the 10% VAT comes out of what you earn.
- Talk to your tax adviser now about registering for VAT and setting up invoices and quarterly returns.
- Keep track of bookings paid before 1 December for stays after that date: the tax authority has not yet said how they are treated.
Turismo Costa del Sol puts losses from the Málaga–Madrid high-speed rail closure at 185 million euros
The loss of the high-speed link to Madrid is already hurting tourism in Málaga. If your property relies on Spanish guests, it is worth reviewing prices and terms for the coming weeks.
- Check bookings from guests coming from Madrid and confirm with them how they plan to travel.
- Look at your November and December calendar: if gaps open up, adjust the price or minimum stay.
- Make your cancellation policy clear, as transport-related changes of plan may increase.
A new royal decree-law allows price caps on hotels and transport during emergencies
Royal Decree-law 32/2026 requires anything charged above the cap to be refunded when an emergency is declared. It refers to hotels and transport and does not say whether holiday lets are included.
- If an emergency is declared in your area, do not go above what you offered in the previous 30 days without checking whether a cap applies.
- Keep a record of your nightly rates: it is the benchmark the rule uses to set the maximum.
- If you use dynamic pricing, make sure the tool does not push rates up automatically during an emergency.
Family flight bookings for Spain's December bank holiday weekend are up 94%
The long weekend runs from Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December and stays are getting longer. Málaga is still drawing visitors, according to Trip.com: a good time to set price and minimum stay.
- Review price and availability for 5 to 8 December if those nights are still free.
- Consider a three-night minimum stay over the long weekend, in line with current booking patterns.
- If your property suits families, make the beds, cot or high chair clear in your listing.
Overseas visitors' hotel nights in Málaga rise 11.64% in September
Hotel nights from foreign visitors rose 11.64% in September, with the United States growing strongly. A sign that international demand is holding firm as summer ends.
- Compare your September occupancy with last year to see whether you kept pace with the rise.
- Check that your listing and automated replies read clearly in English for guests travelling from afar.
- Use this figure when setting your September 2027 rates rather than copying this year's.
Ryanair launches winter routes linking Málaga with Trieste, Venice, Turin and Hamburg
Ryanair adds four connections from Málaga as the winter season begins, bringing more seats from Italy and Germany in the quieter months.
- Check that your calendar from November to March is open and has prices loaded.
- Make sure your listing reads well in Italian and German, or that the platform's translation is accurate.
- Keep an eye on short winter breaks such as bank holidays and weekends, and don't block short stays without good reason.
Cost of living makes British travellers tighten budgets, but Spain remains their favourite destination
According to ABTA, 70% of British adults plan to travel abroad in the next 12 months and Spain tops their list, although they are tightening budgets and booking later.
- Review your winter and spring prices: British guests are still coming, but they compare more and book later.
- Don't cut rates months ahead just because the calendar looks empty; leave room for last-minute bookings.
- Make it clear in your listing what the price includes, because guests on a tighter budget compare the total cost.
Hotel and flight prices in Europe rose 4% to 6% this summer, and travellers are booking later
A RateGain study finds demand held up despite higher prices, while the average booking window fell to 33 days. A good moment to review how you set last-minute prices.
- Review your pricing rules for the four or five weeks before each date, which is when many bookings now come in.
- Do not cut rates too early if autumn looks slow: bookings arrive later than they did a year ago.
- Keep your prices in line with the market, as higher rates have not dampened demand.
Málaga's rural homes top 84% occupancy over the October bank holiday, the highest in Andalusia
Occupancy in the province's inland areas is above 84% and prices are 6% higher than last year. Spanish bank holiday weekends keep driving demand outside the summer.
- Note next year's national bank holiday weekends and review their prices before the first bookings arrive.
- Consider a two or three night minimum stay on those dates to avoid being left with single-night gaps.
- Compare what you charged this weekend with last year: the market is up 6%.
Moreno opens the door to a tourist tax in Andalusia if there is a national legal framework
The President of the Junta would accept a tourist tax, but only if backed by national law. Nothing changes today, but it is worth following as it would affect the final price of your bookings.
- There is no tax and no date for now: Moreno makes it conditional on a national legal framework.
- Moreno argues that the money raised could go towards rental assistance.
- Leave your current bookings as they are and wait until there is a concrete legal text.
Andalusia reaches 2 million tourists in August, up 21.2% on a year earlier
Andalusia led growth in August while the Balearics and Canaries stalled. It is a useful benchmark for reviewing your property's high-season prices.
- Andalusia welcomed 2 million tourists in August, 21.2% more than in August 2025.
- In the same month, the Balearics grew by 2.5% and the Canaries by 0.3%.
- Compare your August occupancy and average rate with last year's before setting prices for summer 2027.
TUI Airline to launch Málaga routes from Düsseldorf and Hannover for summer 2027
TUI Airline is adding two new routes from Germany to Málaga as part of a summer with 4.6% more capacity. It points to German demand for the 2027 high season.
- Factor in German travellers when you set your prices for summer 2027.
- Translate your listing, house rules and arrival instructions into German.
- Watch for when these routes go on sale so you can open your calendar in good time.
Transavia adds Paris-Orly–Málaga flights and grows its Spain seats by 7% this winter
Málaga was Transavia's best-selling Spanish destination this summer, and the airline is adding Paris-Orly flights for winter. Expect more French and Dutch guests in the low season.
- Review your November to March prices, as there will be more direct seats from Paris-Orly to Málaga.
- Get your listing and guest messages ready in French and Dutch.
- Open your winter calendar now so you don't miss guests who book well ahead.
What's on at FYCMA until December: the autumn dates that fill Málaga midweek
Between October and November the congress centre hosts a dozen multi-day events, most of them Tuesday to Thursday. Those are the nights worth checking for pricing and minimum stay.
- October brings four multi-day events: Comic-Con Málaga (1-4), SEPES (8-10), the Málaga Bar Association's legal congress (15-16) and SESPM (22-24).
- November stacks up Expo Agritech (4-5), the Simed property show (12-14), Andalucía TRADE Global (17-18) and Talent Land España (24-26).
- December's concerts and ballets are single evenings drawing a largely local audience, so they don't warrant the same price rise as a congress.
A new commission will monitor Málaga's bathing water after a summer of beach closures
The regional government and six coastal councils will meet every two months to cut discharges and avoid bathing bans. Up to six beaches closed in Málaga this summer.
- The commission brings the regional government together with the councils of Málaga, Benalmádena, Torremolinos, Marbella, Mijas and Fuengirola, meeting every two months.
- Up to six beaches closed in Málaga this summer over faecal bacteria after the sewerage system overflowed during the storm on the first night of the feria.
- Only 55% of the network separates rainwater from sewage, with a target of 70%, so the risk of closures after heavy storms will still be there next summer.
Digital guest registration: what each stay must report and who is liable if it is missing
Reporting every guest's details to Spain's Interior Ministry applies to all holiday rentals. The owner remains liable, even when management is delegated.
- Details of every traveller over 14 must be reported within 24 hours of check-in.
- Online check-in platforms (Chekin, Simple Check in) do this automatically from the booking.
- Fines for failing to report fall on the property owner, so it pays to have it automated.
Trade bodies file objections to Málaga's three-year freeze on new tourist accommodation
Aehcos and AVVAPro have filed objections to the licensing freeze approved by the city council. It applies to opening new tourist accommodation in the city.
- The moratorium suspends new tourist accommodation in the city of Málaga for up to three years, so any plan to register a further property there is on hold.
- The freeze covers all lodging use: hotels, aparthotels, guest houses, hostels and regulated tourist apartments.
- AVVAPro wants the automatic inclusion of holiday-let homes in the planning category of lodging reviewed, along with the methodology behind the Tourist Pressure Index.
Caps on new holiday rentals in saturated Málaga neighbourhoods: what changes if you already hold a licence
Málaga City Council is restricting new tourist-rental registrations in high-density areas. Properties already registered keep operating, which makes an existing licence a scarce asset.
- The cap applies to new registrations, not to properties already operating with a licence.
- An active licence in a saturated area becomes a scarce asset: keep it fully up to date.
- Check every year that the Andalusian registry data matches the property as it really is.
Costa del Sol adds a million more overnight stays to July, nearing 18.4 million
The Turismo Costa del Sol bulletin, using INE data, puts January-July stays at 18,394,945, up 6.3%. Tourist apartments grew almost 30% in July alone.
- Overnight stays from January to July reached 18,394,945, up 1,089,104 on the same period in 2025.
- In July tourist apartments were up 29.8% in nights booked and campsites 17.6%, while hotels passed 77% average occupancy.
- Domestic travel grew 10.7% in July, so it pays to keep your listing and pricing sharp for Spanish guests, not only for overseas ones.
Conferences and big events: how to spot the dates that send nightly rates soaring in Málaga
An event with thousands of attendees can multiply demand in the centre for three or four nights. Dynamic pricing tools pick it up before it makes the news.
- The signal comes from bookings and searches in the area, not from the official events calendar.
- Setting prices by hand usually comes too late: the demand peak starts weeks earlier.
- A well-set minimum stay stops you giving away the key date to a one-night booking.
Single registration number: platforms hide listings that do not display it
Airbnb and Booking require the short-term rental registration number on every listing. Without it, the listing disappears from travellers' searches.
- The number is requested from the Land Registry through Spain's Digital One-Stop Shop for rentals.
- It must appear on the listing on every platform and be renewed every year.
- A listing hidden for one week in high season can cost more than a whole month of management fees.
Income tax return: which holiday rental expenses you can deduct
Short-term rental income is taxed as property income in Spain, and a large share of expenses is deductible in proportion to the days the property was let.
- Utilities, community fees, property tax (IBI), insurance, depreciation and the management fee are deductible, prorated by occupied days.
- The 60% reduction for long-term residential lets does not apply: holiday rental income is taxed in full.
- Keeping the manager's monthly invoice makes the return simple: bookings and commission are already itemised.