Benidorm issues first fines for unauthorized tourist rental properties, totalling 100,000 euros

Benidorm City Council has issued its first fines to tourist rental properties that are operating without the required permits. This information comes from data provided by the Councillor for Commerce, Javi Jordá, marking one year since the City Council assumed responsibility for inspecting and penalising tourist rental properties.

Jordá explained that during this period, “70 complaints have been received affecting 196 properties.” Of these, 107 had the Tourist Rental (VUT) registration issued by the Valencian Regional Government and were therefore in compliance. Regarding the remaining 89 properties, 73 are currently under inspection, and the other 16 have been recommended for sanctions.

 “Among these 16 proposed sanctions, four have already been enforced, resulting in a revenue of just over €100,000 for the municipal coffers.” In all four cases, the proposed fine was €50,001, an amount that has been reduced by half “due to the acceptance and prompt payment by the offending individuals or companies.”

The other 12 pending proposed fines are currently in the response, appeal, or documentation submission phase.

The councillor emphasised that “these cases take time to process to ensure and guarantee a proper inspection and offer all legal safeguards to the parties involved, and can last for months.” However, he stressed that “we are already seeing the first results of this monitoring and inspection work.”

Inspection Procedure

Once the City Council receives a complaint from an individual or a homeowners' association regarding the possible existence of properties operating as tourist accommodation without the required authorisations, the Local Police are responsible for carrying out the on-site inspection, while the Department of Commerce oversees the investigation and processing of the corresponding administrative file.

Every quarter, the City Council is required to report the results of its inspection and enforcement activities to the Generalitat Valenciana. The latest report, issued on 30 June, has already been submitted to the regional authority. However, it includes only one of the four fines that have already been collected, as the remaining three were paid in July and will therefore be reflected in the next quarterly report.

Jordá recalled that "the City Council assumed responsibility for inspection and enforcement under Decree-Law 9/2024 of 2 August, introduced by the Generalitat Valenciana, which amended the Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Act approved under the previous Botànic government."

"That earlier legislation, introduced by the PSOE and Compromís, led to an increase in tourist accommodation in Benidorm by classifying it for residential use. It also prevented local councils from exercising sanctioning and fine collection powers. It was not until the amendment promoted by the Generalitat governed by the Popular Party that local authorities were granted the power to collect fines, thereby increasing both their enforcement capacity and their financial resources."