Transferring a holiday-let licence to a new owner: how to do it step by step

If you buy a property that already has a holiday-let licence in force, a common mistake is to assume that the licence «comes with the house». It doesn't: the registration is tied to the activity and to whoever runs it, not to the property. If you don't make the change of licence holder (cambio de titularidad), you carry on operating, in legal terms, under someone else's licence.

Why the licence is not passed on automatically with the purchase

Each autonomous community keeps its own register of tourist-use homes (viviendas de uso turístico), and the registration identifies a specific holder (the «operator» of the activity). When the owner changes, whether through a sale, an inheritance or any other route, the new holder must formally apply for the change before starting to operate.

Operating under another person's registration is treated, for inspection purposes, as having no licence at all: it can lead to a fine and the cancellation of the registration.

Steps to change the licence holder

1. Check the status of the registration before buying: that it is active, in the seller's name and with no open disciplinary proceedings.
2. Gather the paperwork for the new holder and the proof of acquisition (title deed, inheritance documents, etc.).
3. Go to the tourism register of your autonomous community (usually online, with a digital certificate) and find the procedure for amending the registration or changing the holder.
4. Submit the declaración responsable (sworn statement) with the new holder's details. The previous holder must no longer appear as active.
5. Keep the proof of submission as evidence while the authorities process the change.
6. Wait for confirmation of the registration. In some communities an inspection is carried out before approval.

Paperwork you will need

• The declaración responsable form for amending the registration or changing the holder.
• The current licence or registration number.
• Details of the outgoing and incoming holders.
• The title deed of sale, inheritance documents, or any other document proving you have the right to use the property.
• Identity documents of the new holder (or company details, where applicable).
• Agreement of the comunidad de propietarios (owners' association) authorising tourist use (required more and more often, see the next section).

The requirement that has changed the procedure: the owners' association

The reform of the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal (Spain's law on owners' associations) introduced the obligation to obtain prior authorisation from the comunidad de propietarios to use a home for tourist lets, approved at a general meeting by a three-fifths majority of owners and ownership shares. Several autonomous communities already require it expressly in the change-of-holder procedure: for example, Andalusia has required it since 3 April 2025, and the Valencian Community asks for an urban-planning compatibility report as well as the declaración responsable.

If you are going to buy a property to run as a holiday let, check the association's bylaws before signing: if they already prohibited tourist use, the problem surfaces just when you try to change the licence holder.

What happens if you don't make the change in time

The deadline varies by autonomous community (many set between 10 and 30 days from the purchase), and in several regions licences that are not used or not updated expire automatically. Until you make the change:

• The property's listing still appears in the previous holder's name.
• Guest registration reports (SES.Hospedajes) are filed under an identity that no longer matches the person running the property.
• In an inspection, operating under someone else's registration is treated as having no licence.

The procedure varies by autonomous community

Each regional register has its own form and quirks. Catalonia and the Basque Country, for example, use guest registration systems different from the general SES.Hospedajes. You can check the specific requirements for your community in our complete guide to holiday-let licences by autonomous community.

Would you rather someone took care of it for you?

At beBalmy we handle the change of licence holder and all dealings with your autonomous community's tourism register. Tell us about your situation and we'll tell you how we can help.