Torrevieja requests the power to fine illegal tourist accommodation

“The Council intends to strengthen mechanisms that will allow for better control of tourist accommodation (VUT) activity in the city,” said Eduardo Dolón, Mayor of Torrevieja. As a result, the Council will ask the Consell to exercise the sanctioning authority and inspection functions inherent in the control of this activity under Article 98.2 of Decree Law 9/2024 of August 2.

According to the provisions of the Law Regulating the Bases of Local Government, the Municipal Plenary will have to approve the possible delegation offered by the Generalitat Valenciana, which already offered this mechanism in the previous edition of FITUR (through an agreement signed by the main cities) and to which Valencia, Benidorm, Faura, La Font d’En Carròs, Piles, and Ayora have already joined.

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This Decree-Law, which was recently approved by the Consell, creates a new regulatory framework that modernises and governs important elements of this kind of lodging for tourists. The City Council will have the authority to impose fines on unregulated properties in this regard and keep the proceeds for its own funds.”The City Council intends to strengthen mechanisms that will allow for better control of tourist accommodation (VUT) activity in the city,” said Eduardo Dolón, Mayor of Torrevieja. As a result, the Council will ask the Consell to exercise the sanctioning authority and inspection functions inherent in the control of this activity under Article 98.2 of Decree Law 9/2024 of August 2.

According to the provisions of the Law Regulating the Bases of Local Government, the Municipal Plenary will have to approve the possible delegation offered by the Generalitat Valenciana, which already offered this mechanism in the previous edition of FITUR (through an agreement signed by the main cities) and to which Valencia, Benidorm, Faura, La font d’En Carròs, Piles, and Ayora have already joined.

This Decree-Law, which was recently approved by the Consell, creates a new regulatory framework that modernises and governs important elements of this kind of lodging for tourists. The City Council will have the authority to impose fines on unregulated properties in this regard and keep the proceeds for its own funds.

Alicante Council has not yet embraced this method, which gives VUTs more authority, citing a shortage of Urban Planning personnel. The Local Police, however, will handle this for the remaining towns.

As the city is undoubtedly a national standard in the second home sector, Eduardo Dolón stated that tourist lodging has now established a solid presence in the industry, which is a crucial element in the municipality of Torrevieja.

Non-primary residences make up 69% of all existing housing in the municipality of Torrevieja, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). As a result, tourist lodging has the potential to become a very important form of lodging in the city, and its regulations must be strengthened within the framework of cooperation between the local and regional governments.

The ability for municipal councils to request jurisdiction over the start of disciplinary proceedings for minor, serious, and very serious offences is one of the new elements brought about by Decree Law 9/2024.

Forty police officers

Dolón stated that “one of the most recent 40 local police officers who have entered the city of Torrevieja will, in principle, be tasked with enforcing the decree in the future.”

Although it left open the possibility of working with local entities in the area of inspection, Law 15/2018, of June 7 of the Generalitat, on tourism, leisure, and hospitality of the Valencian Community, on the one hand, clearly and expressly reserved the powers regarding verification, surveillance, and control of compliance with tourism regulations to the regional administration. On the other hand, it did not allow city councils to exercise the sanctioning power. This is something the mayor recalled.

Author: Derek Appleton