If you own a holiday rental on the Costa del Sol, the rules shifted under your feet last month. On 21 May 2026, Spain's Supreme Court issued Judgment No. 620/2026 and annulled the national holiday-rental register created under Royal Decree 1312/2024. The court ruled that central government had overstepped its authority by building a national system that overlapped with powers that belong to the regions.

For owners who spent the spring scrambling to obtain a national NRUA number, the news landed somewhere between relief and confusion. So here is the plain version of what changed, and more importantly, what did not.

What actually changed?

The national layer is gone. The single nationwide registration number that platforms were starting to demand no longer has legal force. That removes one bureaucratic step and one more deadline from your calendar.

What did not change?

This is the part that matters most, and it is where owners get caught out. The Supreme Court did not touch regional rules. In Andalusia, every requirement that applied before the ruling still applies today:

  • Your property must be registered as a Vivienda con Fines Turisticos (VFT) with the Registro de Turismo de Andalucia, with a number in the VFT/MA/xxxxx format displayed on every listing.
  • Guest registration and traveller reporting obligations remain in force.
  • Tourist tax and income reporting still apply.
  • Community of owners rules and municipal limits still govern whether and how you can let.

In short, if you were operating legally under Andalusian regulations before 21 May, you carry on exactly as before. If you were relying on the national register to make your listing compliant, you now need to make sure your regional VFT registration is in order.

Why is this good news if you are set up correctly?

Platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com still verify registration numbers and remove listings that cannot show a valid one. Owners who never sorted out their regional licence are the ones at risk of suspension during the busiest weeks of the year. Owners who did the groundwork are insulated, and they benefit as non-compliant competitors get pulled from search results.

If you were operating legally under Andalusian rules before 21 May, nothing about your day-to-day changes. The risk sits entirely with owners who were leaning on the national register.

That is exactly the position we keep our managed properties in. Every Premavista home carries a valid Andalusian VFT registration, files the guest and tax reporting on time, and stays listed without interruption through peak season.

If you are unsure whether your property is fully compliant after this ruling, that uncertainty is itself a risk worth closing before July. We are happy to review your setup and tell you plainly where you stand.