Tourist rental licence in Sitges: what changes in 2028 and what you can let today

What happens to tourist licences in Sitges in 2028?

Decree-law 3/2023 gives owners of already-licensed tourist homes five years from its entry into force, on 9 November 2023, to obtain the new urban planning licence or cease the activity. Counted from that date, the deadline ends in November 2028.

The new licence lasts five years, can be renewed, and is only granted if the municipality's planning expressly allows it. The rule also caps licences at 10 per 100 inhabitants. There is a single extension of the transitional regime of up to five more years, which must be requested from the Town Hall after four years and before the period ends, and requires showing that the transitional regime does not make up for the loss of the permit. It is a procedure best prepared with a lawyer.

What does the suspension of licences approved by Sitges in 2026 mean?

On 28 January 2026 the plenary session of the Town Hall approved suspending the processing and granting of licences, prior notifications and responsible declarations for works and activities of hotel uses, cases de pagès, residences and healthcare uses, as well as tourist rental homes and llars compartides. It covers the whole municipality. The agreement passed with 15 votes in favour, 1 against and 5 abstentions.

The agreement was published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona on 2 February 2026 and lasts a maximum of one year from that publication, i.e. until 2 February 2027. Planning law allows up to two years if it is combined with the suspension that accompanies the initial approval of new planning. Its purpose is to study new planning that regulates these uses and to adapt the urban plan to Decree-law 3/2023 and Law 11/2025. The agreement excludes, among others, applications for hotels that already had a works licence granted or a works notification accepted before the agreement took effect.

The text of the agreement refers to the installation, extension, change of use and works of these activities. It does not say it cancels licences already granted, but it also does not clarify what happens to anyone who needs to apply for the licence required by Decree-law 3/2023 during the suspension. If that is your case, it is worth asking the Town Hall in writing.

After the agreement, the Town Hall plans to amend its urban plan (POUM) to regulate these accommodations. That amendment may affect future licences.

Can the community of owners block tourist rentals?

Yes. Since 3 April 2025, Organic Law 1/2025 requires that a home to be used for tourist rental has the favourable vote of three fifths of the owners, who in turn represent three fifths of the ownership shares. Without that approval, the community can demand that the activity stops. Owners who were already operating legally before that date can continue, because the agreements are not retroactive. With the same majority, the community can raise that home's share of expenses by up to 20%.

The Supreme Court had already ruled in October 2024 that this qualified majority is enough and unanimity is not required.

Seasonal, tourist and residential rentals: the differences

What does a seasonal rental require since 2026?

Law 11/2025 of 29 December, in force since 1 January 2026, establishes that a seasonal contract without a documented temporary reason is treated as a main-residence rental. If the tenant stays on without the temporary reason or their permanent residence elsewhere being proven, the main-residence regime may apply from the start of the contract, with its minimum term and extensions. Since 1 January 2026, seasonal rentals of homes in stressed residential market areas are subject to the same rent limits as main-residence rentals.

Decree-law 1/2025 provides fines for imposing a temporary contract when the home is used as a main residence (from 10,001 to 100,000 euros) and up to 900,000 euros in other serious cases, such as misrepresenting the purpose of the contract or passing on to the tenant property management or formalisation costs that the law does not allow.

Is there a rent cap in Sitges?

Yes, for main-residence contracts and, since 1 January 2026, for seasonal contracts too. Sitges is on the list of stressed residential market areas published in the BOE (Spain's official gazette) on 15 March 2024. The declaration lasts three years and can be extended each year. Under the Urban Leases Act, as amended by Law 12/2023, in a new contract the rent cannot exceed the last rent that home had in the past five years, once updated, and costs that were not in the previous contract cannot be passed on to the tenant. An increase of up to 10% is only possible in defined cases, such as recent refurbishment or energy improvement works or contracts of ten years or more. Large property holders (in Sitges, anyone holding five or more urban residential properties in the stressed zone, under Resolution TER/800/2024) must also respect the reference price index. The index also caps the starting rent of any home with no residential lease in force in the past five years.

What options does an owner in Sitges have today?

• With a licence in force: you can keep operating until November 2028, subject to the agreements of your community of owners. It is worth checking when and how to apply for the new licence or the extension.
• Without a licence: while the suspension lasts, the Town Hall does not process licences or notifications for tourist rental homes. What remains is seasonal rental, with the temporary reason well documented, or residential rental, with the rent cap.
• If you are unsure which type your home allows: check the community's statutes and the planning status before advertising it.

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