Valencia Passes One of Spain's Strictest Laws to Curb Tourist Apartments

Here is the translation into British English, maintaining the HTML structure, alongside a headline, sub-headline, and SEO keywords. Headline: Valencia Passes One of Spain's Strictest Laws to Curb Tourist Apartments Sub-headline: Mayor María José Catalá enforces a three-tier limit to "bring order to the chaos", despite criticism from residents' associations over illegal rentals.

The Valencia City Council has approved some of the strictest regulations in Spain for governing tourist accommodation. According to the city's mayor, María José Catalá, these restrictions will protect 98% of residential buildings and provide business security.

The rules come into effect following a two-year moratorium on new tourist developments, which froze over 300 license applications. The city is now introducing three administrative restrictions that will apply to all districts except the historic centre, Ciutat Vella, which is already subject to its own specific regulations.

The first restriction states that the total number of tourist establishments (including hotels, apartments, and short-term rentals) cannot exceed 8% of the city’s registered population.

The second rule mandates that in any given district or neighbourhood, a maximum of 2% of housing may be used for tourism. Furthermore, such properties are only permitted on the ground and first floors—provided there are no residential units on the same floor—and must have a private, separate entrance. Approval from three-fifths of the residents' association members will also be required.

The third rule aims to protect small businesses: tourist establishments may occupy no more than 15% of the commercial premises within a single block.

Crucially, all three conditions must be met simultaneously; if a single limit is exceeded, opening the establishment will be impossible.

The new regulations will also affect hotels. Projects with more than 100 rooms will now undergo an individual assessment regarding their impact on city operations and the transport accessibility of the planned area.

"We are not just a city of sun and beaches focused on low-cost mass tourism. We are a city that has a place for urban tourism, and we are bringing order to the chaos of recent years," stated Mayor María José Catalá.

However, the new rules were criticised by Francisco Guardeño, a representative of the Federation of Residents' Associations of Valencia. He noted that while the document includes aspects that "residents' associations insistently demanded to limit tourism growth," he believes the new definition of the hotel sector is "inconsistent and confusing," potentially allowing companies to continue letting properties for 15-day periods.

"To date, more than 9,000 tourist apartments are operating illegally, and the city’s primary tourist accommodation sector—nearly double the number of hotel rooms—functions outside the law. This is a problem that the proposed bill does not solve, and one we cannot accept," he declared.

Representatives from the opposition parties, Compromís and PSPV-PSOE, expressed similar concerns.