Still as a draft bill, the Tourism Department of the Junta de Andalucía is studying the introduction of regulations on “holiday properties” as a form of operation of holiday accommodation units which, therefore, will differ from the private rental of properties.

Such regulations contemplate the possibility of offering as holiday accommodation units one or several rooms (units) in an existing residential dwelling, which would involve the provision of a minimum set of services as a defining element together with the room: holiday accommodation unit.

It is worth noting that this kind of holiday accommodation establishment has not been allowed in Andalucía until now with the exception of “rural holiday homes”, not the same concept but similar.

Such a legal amendment would allow the marketing in Andalucía, within a “holiday offering”, of the so-called private residences, which is a globally successful holiday product operated on a long-term rotational enjoyment or timeshare basis (also called “fractional”).

It should be noted that the properties included in tourist services channels have been excluded from the provisions of the recently amended Urban Lease Act on rentals of properties as residential dwellings (which do not include the provision of the services inherent in holiday accommodation units).

Such a regulation for Andalucía will not be new in Spain, where there are seventeen different sets of tourism regulations, one in each “Autonomous Community”, sometimes with only minor differences from each other in relation to conceptual aspects or the required services and facilities, which makes it extremely expensive to operate this and other kinds of holiday accommodation units in all of Spain.