According to Sánchez, these are homes that do not meet the legal requirements for holiday homes. There are in particular many cases in Seville, Marbella, Barcelona, Málaga and Madrid.
The initiative fits within the strategy of Sánchez ‘government to give housing its original function, to restrict illegal tourist rental and to improve the quality of life in cities.
Spain is struggling with a housing shortage that year after year increases. This would be partly caused by the number of holiday homes increasing by almost 15 percent annually. Statistics agency Ine estimates that there are 400,000 holiday homes in Spain.