Alicante extends moratorium on new licenses for tourist apartment blocks

The Alicante City Council has decided to extend the current moratorium on granting new licenses for tourist apartments to entire buildings. This means that the processing and granting of licenses to blocks, as well as any other title that enables properties to operate as tourist accommodation, is suspended. Additionally, the issuance of urban guarantee certificates and urban compatibility reports in the affected area for the use of VUT, whether isolated or in blocks, will be suspended.

The aim of this moratorium is to regulate the impact of holiday rentals on the fabric of the city of Alicante. The council's initial idea is to review municipal regulations on tourist housing and develop specific regulations that allow for "balanced and sustainable" growth, ensuring access to housing.

The Urban Planning Department has highlighted the council's role in the "management and regulation of tourist accommodation in Alicante." In this regard, the area's councillor, Rocío Gómez, recalled the specific study launched in 2024, once the license moratorium was approved.

The councillor admits that "we are working to develop new regulations that will affect all VUT, including blocks of tourist apartments." Therefore, according to the council, they have deemed it appropriate to "extend the moratorium to control their proliferation in certain neighbourhoods, ensure access to housing, protect residents and businesses, and allow time to study each neighbourhood and make the most appropriate decisions in each case."

Gómez has announced that work on this extension has been underway for months and is expected to be approved as soon as possible, most likely at the July plenary session. According to data provided by the Department of Tourism, since 2023, 53 blocks of tourist apartments have been registered in Alicante: 16 in 2023, 25 in 2024, and 12 from January 1 to June 30, 2025.