Read before renting apartment

[roger]

The law can be vague, contradictory, inconsistently implemented and arbitrarily enforced. On top of that promising start, most owners are blissfully unaware that such laws exist.
A powerful hotel lobby that sees holiday rentals as a threat is usually behind these laws, but given the glut of homes for sale and the severe slump of the Spanish economy, the state should be bending over backwards at all levels to encourage people to buy, which implies making tourist rentals as easy as possible.
But no. Instead they are issuing stunned owners with fines of up to €30,000 for renting out their holiday homes to tourists. If you engage in holiday lettings, you are taking a big risk and there are quite a number of owners prepaired to take that risk.
Its very easy to trace the majority of owners who advertise on the web just by asking the address of the property and were payment is to be sent,it's not rocket science.

[john b]

Elaine, I can't believe there have been 6000 fines. There are about 2400 private properties advertised on OwnersDirect in the Canary Islands. If they only account for 10% of the total (and I'd think they represent far more than that), then 25% of owners have been fined, and I'm sure there would have been a massive outcry. Further, another thread on this forum suggests that most of the enforcement activity has been in Tenerife, but the Tenerife section of this forum is silent on the matter. The largest group on Owners Direct is on Lanzarote, where I live, which has just under half of the total, and I'm only aware of one reported fine here.

[elaine]

Come on,do you honestly believe these owners would shout from the rooftops about this fine.
http://www.colacampaign.com/situation.html

[elaine]

Do you think i'm lying John? How silly of me 7000 fines! do you want me to carry on or is that enough evidence.
http://www.aplaceinthesun.com/news/f...clampdown.aspx

[bettyjmaar]

That were some great tips shared as a precautionary measure before renting apartments. Renting homes is like jumping off a cliff with not knowing the exact dept of the land. It could either be way too low or high. One must use their senses before renting apartments, as it it one of the most value assets in property.

[john b]

Do you think i'm lying John? How silly of me 7000 fines! do you want me to carry on or is that enough evidence.
http://www.aplaceinthesun.com/news/f...clampdown.aspx

No, I don't think you are lying, Elaine, and I certainly don't want to engage in a slanging match. I just feel you are repeating unsubstantiated rumours, as is A Place in the Sun. Of course most people would choose to keep quiet, but 6000 of them, with no posts about it? The names would be in the public record, fines are not a secret. I have heard one person named, a local councillor in Yaiza, our parent town. How many do you KNOW of? Can you back up your figure?

Colacampaign don't give names, or numbers on the link you provide, only to say there is reputedly a target of 2000 a year since last Autumn, which would suppose about 1500 max.

The danger with repeating horror stories is that they might put off visitors, and achieve the authorities' aims for them. A slightly more balanced view is here, from a lady in Tenerife:

http://www.janetanscombe.com/links-j...-tenerife.html

Finally, I have no commercial interest in renting, in fact I'm glad I live on a residencial community where very little is rented. However, if people stop coming to "illegal" properties, how long before Ryanair pull out, there is worse unemployment, and the services we take for granted cease?

[elaine]

A Place In The Sun intentionally give false inaccurate information deliberately. Thats an act of deception and false statement to mislead uncertainty and doubt.So why would A Place In The Sun engage in any conduct with intent to convey false or misleading information under circumstances where such information may reasonably be believed.
It is an offence to knowingly or recklessly to provide information which is false or misleading.
A Place In The Sun have a holiday rental site with 320,000 holiday homes around the world including the Canaries also a leading overseas property website so what purpose does it serve them spreading unsubstantiated rumours.

From same lady in Tenerife.
With regard to the fines that have been, and continue to be, levied, there are presently 7,000 cases in various stages of process. That is not a mistype for 700: I mean 7,000. These fines have been levied on owners all across the Canaries, on every island.
http://www.janetanscombe.com/news/inspectors-to-find-and-fine-owners-of-residential-apartments-who-let-commercially.html
Ryanair only started fly to the Canaries in 2006,the Canaries managed quite well before that in the booming years.

[john b]

Suit yourself but even Janet didn't back up the number with facts. if there was that number of fines, they would be readily apparent on official lists. A Place in the Sun is like any other media organisation, they print things without checking them - you must be aware of the reputation of the press for accuracy. They actually name two people, an agent and an owner, and as I said, I know of a local councillor here, so that's three, but where are the other thousands?

I think you are reacting mainly because you feel hurt that someone doubted what you repeated from others. If so, I'm sorry, but frankly the title of this thread is exactly what the local economy doesn't need. Perhaps where you live you wouldn't feel the loss of Ryanair, but this is Ryanair's statement of the effect of removing just 21 of their routes, so imagine what losing the whole would be on the economy:

“Ryanair will cut 21 routes and make frequency cuts on 32 other routes, with the loss of over 140 weekly flights. Sadly, over 1.1 million passengers per year and over 1,100 jobs will be lost on the Canary Islands to other lower cost airports elsewhere in Europe, where Ryanair continues to grow. These route and traffic cuts can be reversed but only when the Regional Government reintroduces its agreed growth incentives. Rest assured that Ryanair will keep trying.”

[roger]

Informative and interesting topic but getting a bit personal i feel,you two can bicker all day(getting a bit boring now)The simple truth that no one can deny is....ITS AGAINST THE LAW and the majority of property owners know this and hoping the authorities dont catch them .The Spanish are losing out on valuable tax revenue, its driven by the hotel operators who are losing out by illegal renting,because it affects cleaners, laundry services etc. as well as the maintenance of pools & gardens, painting and even building improvements, extensions etc.
This is what you call black economy, tax evasion or tax avoidance call it what you like there's no differece it's the same in the Spain as in UK.It's estimated the corrent weight of the Spanish underground economy is between 20 -25% of the GDP so the government will look at all areas to reduce this.

The Tourist Inspectors are now attempting to catch those owners, but given the relatively small number of fines(no one know exactly how many) issued in relation to the thousands and thousands of owners renting illegally,if this is true the inspectors obviously aren’t doing a very efficient job!
I personally think this situation as time goes on will get ugly as the Spanish or shall i say the World economy retracts even deeper into recession.If true the forums will be very busy place indeed.

[palbar]

Anybody who has a property or thinking of buying a property to rent in Spain should probably have a look at the information issued by the British Embassy in Madrid on 4th August. It is on ukinspain and then rental in the search box this being the FCO website that aims to answer questions for UK citizens in Spain not just resident but holidaymakers as well.