The VUT licence (Andalusia)
Introduced under Decree 28/2016 and updated by Decree 31/2024, the VUT licence is what lets you legally rent your property to tourists in Andalusia. Every short-term rental listed on Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO or any online platform needs one.
Who grants it, and how quickly
The Junta de Andalucía’s regional tourism office. Application is via their online portal. For straightforward cases we’ve seen licences issued in as little as one working day, though 2–5 days is more typical. The speed depends largely on how complete the supporting documents are, which is where a manager familiar with the process makes a real difference.
Whose name the licence is in
A detail many owners miss: under current Andalusian regulations, the VUT licence is registered in the name of the rental management company, not the individual owner. This is because the manager is the entity taking commercial responsibility for the short-term rental activity.
For owners, this is actually the better deal. Licence holder responsibilities (annual filings, guest-registration obligations, tax liaison, compliance audits) sit with us, not with you. When we manage a property, our name goes on the licence; your rental income still arrives in your account. See how the management package works.
The 2025 community-vote rule
This rule only applies to new VUT applications. If your property already holds a valid VUT licence issued before 3 April 2025, it continues to operate under the previous rules. You do not need a community vote to keep running.
For new applications in community buildings (apartment block, townhouse development, urbanisation), the April 2025 amendment to the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal (Ley Orgánica 1/2025) requires a 3/5 majority vote from community owners (3/5 of owners representing 3/5 of participation quotas) before the Junta will process the licence. In practice: you call a community meeting (ordinary or extraordinary), formally propose your VUT application, and get it on the minutes with enough votes in favour.
In Benalmádena the vote picture differs sharply by sub-town. Puerto Marina & Benalmádena Costa apartment blocks with a strong short-let history often carry the vote cleanly; some Costa beachfront communities and Torrequebrada urbanisations have voted the other way. Read the comunidad minutes before buying if this matters to you.
What you need before applying
- Property ownership documentation (escritura)
- Community vote in favour (where applicable)
- Proof of insurance for short-term rental use
- Minimum quality standards (beds, bathrooms, kitchen; VUT has a specifications table)
- Occupancy licence from the property (licencia de primera ocupación)
- Cedula de habitabilidad or equivalent
The NRUA is no longer required.
The NRUA (Número de Registro Único de Alquiler) was introduced by Royal Decree 1312/2024 and briefly ran from 1 July 2025. In May 2026 the Spanish Supreme Court annulled the decree, and with it the national NRUA register. It is no longer a requirement to hold or display an NRUA number to let a property short-term in Spain.
Practically, that means the regional VUT licence, issued by the Junta de Andalucía and described above, is once again the single registration Benalmádena owners need. Community-vote rules on new applications, statute checks in Puerto Marina & Benalmádena Costa or Torrequebrada urbanisations, and Junta filings continue as before.
Listings on Airbnb, Booking.com and VRBO no longer need an NRUA number to stay live; they do continue to validate the regional VUT code where one is required.
Where this comes from.
Andalusian short-term rental rules move, and they move without much notice. We re-read this page against the Junta de Andalucía’s current guidance and the consolidated national legislation every quarter, and again whenever a change lands that affects Benalmádena owners. The primary sources behind it:
- Ley 49/1960 de Propiedad Horizontal — consolidated text, including the April 2025 amendment (Ley Orgánica 1/2025) that introduced the three-fifths community vote Boletín Oficial del Estado
- Junta de Andalucía — regional tourism registry, where VUT licences are applied for and issued Junta de Andalucía
- Decreto 28/2016 and Decreto 31/2024, the Andalusian framework for viviendas de uso turístico Boletín Oficial de la Junta de Andalucía
- Real Decreto 1312/2024, which created the NRUA register and was annulled by the Supreme Court in May 2026 Boletín Oficial del Estado
This is general guidance for Benalmádena owners, not legal advice. Before any application we check the escritura, the community statutes and the Junta’s current requirements for the specific property, and we involve an abogado or gestor where a case needs one.