More than 17,000 holiday homes ‘legalised’ in 2018
Regional government crackdown on clandestine letting to tourists bears fruit
A TOTAL of 17,180 ‘clandestine properties’ have been signed on the regional government’s register for holiday lets.
Regional secretary for tourism in Valencia, Francesc Colomer noted that these ‘emerged’ last year after a new tourism law was brought in which established large fines for offenders.
“This is a result of all the actions that we have been taking to combat this problem,” he stated.
“These properties had not been declared and they are now on the official register for holiday homes in the Valencia region.”
More than half of the holidays lets to be legalised in 2018 were in Alicante province – a total of 10,627, with 3,690 in Valencia and 2,813 in Castellón.
Sr Colomer explained that they had almost tripled the number recorded at the beginning of this legislature in 2015, when just 6,444 additional properties where added to the list.
He noted that on December 31, 2018 there were 74,150 tourist properties on the books.
Of these, a massive 31,824 have been registered in the last four years in Alicante province.
Sr Colomer said they are acting to protect the legal letting industry.
And he noted that it is fight ‘which has not finished’.
“The unregulated properties have to be uncovered,” he said.
“We want to be able to assure tourists who are letting holiday homes that these properties have all the necessary guarantees for safety and quality.”
Sr Colomer noted that the regional government is funding three agencies – Fevitur, Avacu and the Alcalà-Alcossebre business association – to help in the campaign to uncover the illegal lets.
Speaking about the campaign, he added: “We have done this in a positive way by publicising the benefits of having a legal property.”