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BOE-A-2026-2799 ·6 February 2026 ·Resolution Low impact
Tax

Homeowners' associations: tourist rentals can only be prohibited if expressly forbidden in the bylaws

The Directorate General for Legal Certainty and Public Faith has ruled that the tourist use of a property remains within the permitted residential use, unless the community's bylaws expressly or specifically prohibit it. In this instance, a registrar's refusal to assign a short-term rental registration number—based on a generic prohibition of commercial activities—was overturned (Legal Grounds). The resolution aligns with Supreme Court jurisprudence, which requires a restrictive interpretation of limitations on holiday rentals (Judgment No. 264/2025).

In 2 key points

  1. The tourist use of a property does not per se imply a commercial activity, but remains within the permitted residential use (Fundamentos de Derecho)
  2. Associations can only prohibit tourist rentals if such a restriction is explicitly set out in their bylaws (Sentencia n.º 264/2025)

How it affects those involved

For holiday rental management companies and owners, this resolution strengthens legal certainty by preventing homeowners' associations from using generic 'commercial activity' clauses to block short-term rentals. Associations lose the ability to prohibit this use if their bylaws do not contain a specific and clear mention of tourist or holiday use. Tourist use is not considered a commercial activity per se, as it maintains its residential nature (Legal Grounds).

Lifecycle

2026-02-06PublishedPublished in the BOE
Official text Based on BOE data (boe.es). Information, not advice.

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This analysis is informational only and does not constitute legal advice or create a client-adviser relationship. BM Consulting.
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