On Wednesday, 27 August, the Governing Council of the Community of Madrid approved the amendment to the capital's General Urban Development Plan (PGOU), which enables the implementation of Plan Reside, the new regional regulation on tourist accommodation (VUT). The regulation will come into force after its publication in the Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid (BOCM).
The plan establishes that dwellings intended for tourist use may only offer accommodation for a maximum of 90 days per year, unless they have a lodging licence. In all cases, it will be mandatory to obtain an urban planning licence to start the activity, which will include specific requirements in terms of accessibility, safety and sustainability.
The regulations also introduce zoning criteria that restrict the implementation of VUTs in areas with the highest tourist density and reinforce the protection of residential neighbourhoods. Madrid City Council will have new control tools to inspect, sanction and close down properties that do not comply with the regulations.
According to the City Council, there are currently 17,360 tourist establishments operating in the city, of which 16,100 are tourist accommodation properties. Only 1,293 have a licence, representing 7.45% of the total.
With these measures, the regional government aims to regulate the proliferation of tourist accommodation in the capital, reconciling its development with the residential use of properties and mitigating the effects on neighbourhood coexistence and the housing market. Madrid thus joins other Spanish cities that in recent years have tightened their regulations in this area in response to the growth of short-stay tourist accommodation.