No more holidays in Madrid?

[LadyLindaT]

Since 2025, Madrid has clamped down on private rentals for tourist lets. It now seems to be impossible to find anywhere to stay in the city centre. I understand the reasoning, but I find it sad that there is nowhere legal to stay, anymore.

I have been travelling to my beloved Madrid for over 30 years, and have seen many changes. I am not talking about a quick City break, where a hotel or aparthotel would be perfectly fine. The legal option of Tourist Private apartments has just gone. My friends in Madrid are also finding things a struggle, as they see it as a war against small owners. I can see both sides. It is not possible to find legitimate tourist accommodation at realistic prices. All I was saying that I found it sad.

My DC just spent a week there in a hotel.
Holiday rentals are terrible for cities and I don't blame and I don't Madrid for cracking down.
I can see a lot more places doing it and they should.

I just looked on booking.com for October half term and of the first ten listed, seven were entire apartments.

Well it was years ago as have been using Airbnb for many many years but, yes, it was never a great experience. Noisy, no comfortable sofa, breakfast at a set time. So glad we found Airbnb

Didn't expect so much vitriol. Maybe I phrased it incorrectly.

No holidays in Madrid for you then!

But OP Airbnb is one of those changes that has happened to places like Madrid in the last 30 years and not for the better.

I live in a block of flats in London. Luckily we are a resident controlled freehold (and aren't in a particularly desirable part of the city for tourists ) as there is no way we would tolerate short term lets. None of us signed up to live in a hotel or short let apartment block and nr should we have to cos some owners want to make a quick buck.

I just don't understand this thread at all.... I just googled - found Air b&B and found for a week in Sept 340 different choices for a 2 bed accommodation. The one bed options there were over 400.

OP are you saying al these are illegal to stay in??

I can understand why locals would be against Air B&B to a certain extent - but to say you cant find anywhere to stay that's self catering is just not true!

A quick google shows that Madrid have put extra rules in places for short terms lets that takes some but not all apartments off Airbnb.

Like in London you are not allowed to rent out property on sies like air bnb for more than 90 nights a year unless you have received planning permission for it to be a full time holiday let.

I dislike hotels a lot. I didn’t travel at all before immigrating to the Uk so I don’t know what I would have done before the explosion of various self catering sites. Did some private rooms at hostels when I was younger but once I had my kids we have stuck to holiday homes of some sort. Makes a huge difference for my autistic daughter to have some private outdoor space and is so much easier for me to self cater between my serious allergies and my daughter’s sensory challenges around food. We tend to do countryside things and love a caravan holiday (on a quiet park. Not into the ones with entertainment as we discovered). Eurocamp in Belgium last summer was one of our favourites. None of us find it particularly easy to be around lots of people for meals every single day so having loads of alternatives has been great for us.

Yeah, great for you and other tourists, but not great for the locals.
Self catering is better for us too, also due to an autistic child. I don’t think our right to a holiday trumps their right to live in their city though. I used to live in Madrid, it’s my all time favourite city, and I hope these new rules benefit the locals.

I mean if you need private outdoor space and dislike being around people, then Madrid is probably not going to be the holiday destination for you.

Surely a property owner is free to do as they see fit with something they own?

Madrid has plenty of hotels.

@Huf34 how about you test that theory and see how your neighbours and local authority react.

First answer nailed it. Hotels and traditional self-catering accommodation. Or campsites - tents or caravans.

You don't need a residential property to cater for allergies.

Well, no.
My in laws live in a different large Spanish city. They aren’t allowed to short term let their apartment (that they own) under the rules of their urbanisation, because of the effect on the other residents.

You are looking for something like Bob W apartments: at least two in Madrid and they are lovely: https://booking.bobw.co/?city=madrid&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=21832883272&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21832883272&gbraid=0AAAAACpuXUn7CXh9TmG69TtN5PIQOTQTw&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5vSo19HDlgMV8ZJQBh2qfyxQEAAYASAAEgIBIPD_BwE

No. Whether you own or rent, you have to treat your neighbours with respect and when there's a shortage of something, you don't waste it.

So, where there's a housing shortage you use housing for residential use and not holiday accommodation.

Well done to Madrid!

It is sad if your unwillingness to compromise stops you from doing something you love. They haven't shut the city to tourists, there are countless accommodation options available.

How does it disrespect the neighbours? Like if you own a property, surely as you own it and it's your property you decide what to do with it? Short term rental, long term rentals?

Without CIVUT, a property cannot legally operate as tourist accommodation.
If a property rents to tourists without CIVUT, the city can:
• Issue fines up to €600,000
• Order immediate cessation of activity
• Evict guests
• Seal the property
• Block future tourist use
• Require removal from booking platforms.
There are still thousands of listings for apartments on sites like Airbnb and Booking.com.
They look perfectly legitimate.
There are a lot of very professional corporate operators, but they are still illegal.
They are trying to get around the law, by asking you to sign dodgy rental agreements, or to say that you are a student, or a cousin, visiting for a funeral, etc.
All I was saying was that it would be nice to just be able to book legitimate tourist accommodation.
I asked one the other day for their licence number, and they said they couldn’t reveal it, as it was a secret between them and the Police!
In other words, no Licence.

No. As I said above, my in laws own their apartment in Spain but are subject to the rules of their urbanisation.

I stayed in an aparthotel in France and I found it comfortable for the few nights we needed it. Did the job.