Single Rental Registry: What you need to know before July 1st?

23 June, 2025
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Real Estate
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MES Advocats


The short-term rental sector has been in the spotlight of European and Spanish legislators in recent years. Alongside growing concerns about the impact of these rentals on the housing market, there is also the need to curb fraud and improve the transparency of transactions carried out through online platforms. With these aims, a few months ago Royal Decree 1312/2024, of December 23, came into force, establishing the Single Rental Registry and creating the Digital Single Rental Window, key instruments to comply with the new requirements of Regulation (EU) 2024/1028.

In this article we analyse the Single Rental Registry and what implications this new measure has for landlords and online platforms.

1. What is the Single Rental Registry and why was it created?

The Single Rental Registry is one of the measures created to regulate short-term rentals (tourist or seasonal rentals) and aims to curb fraud in this type of leasing, as well as to obtain data to later apply measures in the field of housing. Although the aforementioned Royal Decree came into force on January 2, 2025, its provisions will not take effect until July 1, 2025.

Thus, from July 1, 2025, any landlord who wishes to offer short-term accommodation through online platforms that make remote contracting possible will be required to first obtain a registration number through a procedure which, in the case of real estate, must be carried out at the Land Registry.

The main purpose of this measure is twofold: on the one hand, to adapt Spanish law to Regulation (EU) 2024/1028, which regulates the collection and exchange of data on short-term rental services; on the other hand, to provide public administrations with an effective tool to collect information, fight fraud, and design public policies in the area of housing.

2. Who must obtain the registration number?

According to Article 5 of Royal Decree 1312/2024, landlords who wish to offer short-term accommodation services through online platforms that allow remote contracting must comply with a series of specific obligations. The main obligation is to first obtain a registration number, without which they will not be able to list their units on these platforms. To do so, they must provide a series of identifying data and documentation related to the rented unit. Once obtained, it will be mandatory to communicate this registration number to the online platform before the listing is published, as well as to keep the provided information up to date whenever there are relevant changes.

In addition, landlords must comply with any information requests they may receive from the competent authorities. This entire procedure can be handled electronically through the headquarters of the College of Property and Mercantile Registrars of Spain, although the option to carry out the process in person is also provided.

It is important to clarify that portals that only publish rental offer ads but do not allow remote contracting are not considered online platforms for the purposes of this regulation.

This means that owners who rent seasonal, tourist or short-term housing without the intermediation of these platforms will not —for now— be required to register.

3. The registration procedure step by step

Regarding the registration procedure, the landlord can start the process through the electronic headquarters of the College of Registrars, although it is also possible to do it in person. To do this, they must provide a series of data and documents, including the exact address of the property, its unique registration code, the cadastral reference, the type of unit (entire house, room, etc.), the maximum number of people it can accommodate and, if applicable, the permit required by regional or local regulations.

In addition, they must provide their personal or corporate data, depending on whether they are a natural or legal person. Once the application has been submitted, the Registrar automatically assigns a registration number, which is recorded by means of a marginal note on the property sheet. This automatic assignment can be appealed. After that, the Registrar reviews the application and must assess it. If they detect errors or defects in the submitted documentation, they grant a period of seven working days for correction. If the deficiencies are not corrected within this period, the registration number is suspended and the removal of the property listing on the online platforms where it has been published is ordered. The qualification issued by the Registrar regarding the submitted registration application can also be appealed.

Additionally, landlords must submit the short-term rental information form every twelve months. This information form must include an anonymised list of the established rentals, as well as the identification of the purpose that justified this type of rental.

The withdrawal of the registration number may occur through voluntary deregistration, but also due to non-compliance with the access requirements to the Registry or by a final administrative resolution. In any case, deregistration will entail the cancellation of the marginal note in the Land Registry.

4. What happens if improper use of the registration number is detected?

Article 10 of Royal Decree 1312/2024 establishes that if the annual information form shows that the registration number has been used for purposes other than those corresponding to its category or type, the assigned registration number will be withdrawn, which will be communicated to the Digital Single Rental Window, and the corresponding administrative body will issue the resolution of section 2 ordering the platforms to remove the listings. This removal will entail the cancellation of the marginal note of the registration on the property.

5. What about long-term rentals? Do they also have to register?

No. However, Additional Provision Two allows that, on a voluntary basis, owners of housing subject to the general urban rental regime (Law 29/1994) may also request a registration number, even if they are not obliged to do so.
This may be useful for landlords who wish to anticipate future regulations or who want to operate with greater transparency.

6. What do digital platforms have to do?

Short-term rental digital platforms are not left out of this new regulation; instead, they play an active and relevant role in its compliance. According to Article 6 of Royal Decree 1312/2024, these platforms are required to ensure that landlords provide the corresponding registration number before any listing is published, and to ensure that this number is visibly displayed in the information of the offered accommodation. Likewise, they must carry out random and periodic checks to verify the accuracy of the data provided by landlords.

In line with their role as intermediaries, these platforms must send all activity data associated with the rented units —including the address of the property and the URL of the listings— to the Digital Single Rental Window on a monthly basis —or quarterly in some specific cases. Finally, if an infringement or improper use of a registration number is detected, they are obliged to remove or block access to the listing within a maximum period of 48 hours from the corresponding administrative notification.

7. How can MES Advocats help you?

At MES Advocats we accompany our clients throughout the entire registration process in the Single Rental Registry. We analyse whether there is an obligation to register, manage the application and necessary documentation, supervise the registration, and handle possible requests or appeals before the registrar or the Administration. Our goal is to ensure compliance with the regulations quickly, safely and effectively, avoiding penalties or the removal of listings on online platforms.

Conclusion

The new Single Rental Registry represents a significant change in the regulation of short-term rentals, aligning our legal system with European requirements. Although there are still aspects to be developed —such as the future penalty regime—, from July 1 this new obligation will become a reality for many property owners.

Are you a landlord and do you publish your properties on online platforms? Then you should act in advance. At MES Advocats, we offer comprehensive advice and legal support throughout the entire procedure. Contact us through this link.

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Cumplimiento normativoDerecho europeo de viviendaShort-term rentalRegistro Único de ArrendamientosRegulación de plataformas digitales

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