If you’re thinking of putting your property on the short-term rental market in Seville, it’s worth reading this before you take the first step. The rules have changed a great deal over the past two years and, in 2026, some of the city’s most sought-after areas no longer accept new licences. Knowing exactly what’s required of you — and where you can and can’t operate — is the difference between a profitable investment and a legal problem with fines that can run into six figures.
In this guide we explain, step by step, what you need to register a holiday let legally in Seville in 2026: compulsory registrations, property requirements, restricted areas, and what changes if you decide to hand the whole thing over to professionals.
What is a VUT, and which rules govern it in Seville?
A Vivienda de Uso Turístico (VUT) — the tourist-use dwelling category that replaced the old VFT — is any property let out in full or by the room, for a fee, to tourists, for stays of under 60 days. It’s advertised on platforms such as Airbnb and Booking, or through direct booking websites.
In Seville and the rest of Andalusia, the activity is governed by three layers of regulation worth understanding clearly:
- National: The most recent reforms to the Horizontal Property Act (Ley de Propiedad Horizontal).
- Regional: Decree 28/2016, substantially amended by Decree 31/2024, in force since 29 January 2025, and reinforced by Decree-Law 1/2025, which tightened penalties and the requirements placed on owners’ associations.
- Municipal: Seville’s urban planning rules, which since 2022 (Amendment no. 44 to the PGOU, the city’s general urban plan) classify VUTs as a specific use within the lodging category, and which introduced area-based limits in 2024.
It’s important to understand that complying with regional rules isn’t enough: the City Council has the final say on whether your area accepts new holiday lets.
Habitability and equipment requirements for the property
Before starting any paperwork, your property has to meet a set of minimum conditions:
- Certificate of habitability or first occupancy licence, valid and in force.
- Compliance with Seville’s municipal planning rules (urban planning compatibility declaration).
- A ventilation or climate control system covering both heating and cooling.
- Official complaint forms available to guests.
- A contact telephone number available 24 hours a day to deal with problems immediately.
- Public liability insurance and an energy performance certificate.
On capacity, Decree 31/2024 sets a maximum of 15 guests where the whole property is let, and 6 guests where it’s let by the room (with the owner or licence holder living there).
Owners’ associations now have a say
Since April 2025, setting up a VUT in a residential building requires the explicit agreement of three-fifths of the owners’ association, unless the statutes already expressly allow the activity. If the statutes prohibit tourist use, you won’t be able to register the property even if you meet every other requirement.
The steps you need to complete to operate legally
- Declaración responsable to the Junta de Andalucía, the binding self-declaration of compliance filed through its online portal, which generates your entry in the Andalusian Tourism Registry (RTA). Registration takes effect the moment you file it, although the authorities may carry out an inspection afterwards. Registration on the SES.HOSPEDAJES platform, used to record and report guest details to Spain’s police and security forces.
Saturated areas in Seville: where new registrations are no longer accepted
Drawing on the PGOU amendment and the powers granted to it by the Junta de Andalucía to suspend licences, Seville City Council has applied a 10% cap on holiday lets per area since October 2024. As a result:
- The Casco Antiguo (old town) and Triana are, in practical terms, closed to new registrations, having already reached that limit.
- Properties already registered before the restriction can carry on operating as normal; the suspension applies to new registrations, not to existing ones.
- The City Council can also impose moratoriums of up to three years on new licences and declaraciones responsables, under the Junta de Andalucía’s decree-law.
Before buying or renting a property with the intention of running it as a holiday let, check whether that exact address falls within an area under a moratorium.
What happens if you don’t comply?
- Fines of up to €600,000 in the most serious cases.
- Regional penalties which, in many cases, start at €10,001.
- Automatic removal of your listing from booking platforms, in as little as 48 hours, if the VUT/NRA number isn’t displayed.
Is it worth handling on your own?
Between the Andalusian Tourism Registry, SES.HOSPEDAJES, planning compatibility and the owners’ association agreement, registering a holiday let in Seville in 2026 involves considerably more steps than it did just three years ago.
Seville remains one of Spain’s most attractive markets for short-term rentals, but recent years have brought tighter regulation and areas — the Casco Antiguo and Triana above all — where new registrations are no longer accepted. Knowing the requirements, checking the area before you invest and keeping every document in order is what separates a steady, stress-free income from avoidable penalties.
If you’d rather not deal with declaraciones responsables, registrations and planning checks on your own, at Alohamundi we handle the whole process from start to finish, along with the day-to-day running of your property once it’s registered.
Do you own a property in Seville and want to know whether your area still accepts holiday let registrations? Get in touch for free, no-obligation advice on the exact requirements for your property.
