Spanish lawyers help property owners impacted by the single register of tourist accommodation to file claims

Tourism

Salama Legal is expecting a flood of financial claims against the government, now that the Supreme Court has overturned the single register

Pilar Martínez

Malaga

A law firm specialising in the holiday rental sector, has launched a platform to help property owners impacted by the now overturned single register of tourist accommodation claim compensation.

The regulations of the single register have reportedly rendered multiple tourist rentals unmarketable. In Andalucía alone, this concerns approximately 25,100 properties, representing more than one in four across Spain, according to data from the government sub-delegation. These properties, along with all other registered properties, can now claim damages and lost profits.

Salama Legal, the firm in question, predicts a flood of financial claims against the government. The federation of tourist accommodation (Fevitur) anticipates that claims against the state could reach 160 million euros.

Salama Legal has already registered more than 500 properties in this single registry and has received numerous inquiries in recent days.

The aim is to organise claims according to the specific circumstances of each case, ranging from owners who want to claim the 32-euro registration fee and other administrative or documentation costs, to those seeking compensation for damages and lost profits due to months of inactivity.

Salama Legal says that the idea is to create an initial contact form, followed by a specific form for each group. In addition to answering basic questions about their case, the affected parties will need to upload the supporting documentation for their claim.

With a one-year deadline to file a claim, the goal is "to work together to initiate the claim as efficiently as possible". "The conditions include full representation and negotiation capabilities, including the possibility of a reduction in compensation, if we find that this facilitates reaching an agreement and expedites the process," Salama states.

The financial claim model follows that of platforms that help tourists defend their rights against flight cancellations or delays. "They already have a long history in this area and we will draw inspiration from it," Jacob Salama says.

Those interested can find information on this website.

In Malaga province, there are a total of 88,000 holiday rental properties registered with the Andalusian tourism registry. These same properties, prior to the Supreme Court ruling, could only operate on major holiday rental platforms if registered within the government's single registry.

The Supreme Court overturned this requirement, ruling that the central government lacks the authority to create such a registry, and sided with regional governments.

Five regions, including Andalucía, had previously appealed the registry, which also prompted the European Commission to issue two warnings to the Spanish government for violating European regulations due to administrative duplication.