Tourist apartments
How to get a tourist apartment licence in Córdoba (2026 guide)
2026 VUT requirements in Andalusia, the 4 steps of the process, real costs and the mistakes that trigger the most fines — told by a team operating active tourist apartments in Córdoba.
Quick answer: to rent your Córdoba apartment to tourists you must register it as a Tourist Use Dwelling (VUT) with the Andalusian Government via responsible declaration, obtain your VFT/CO/XXXXX number and report every guest to the police registry. You can operate from day one if everything is in order, but full verification takes 2 to 6 weeks.
Key takeaways
- Mandatory BEFORE listing on Airbnb or Booking: advertising without a registry number triggers fines from €2,000.
- The owners' community can restrict or ban tourist use: check the bylaws before buying.
- Key technical requirements: occupancy licence, external ventilation, seasonal climate control.
- The costliest oversight: failing to report guests to the police (the most-fined offence).
- This guide comes from practice: we operate active VUTs in La Magdalena, the Centre and Fuensanta.
What exactly is the VUT licence?
The Tourist Use Dwelling is how Andalusia has regulated holiday rentals since Decree 28/2016 and its later updates. It is not a classic "licence" someone grants you: it is a responsible declaration — you declare compliance and the administration may verify it afterwards. That is why the risk lies in declaring without complying.
What must the property meet in 2026?
- A valid occupancy licence (habitability certificate).
- Direct external ventilation in every bedroom, with blackout systems.
- Climate control: cooling if rented May-September, heating October-April.
- First-aid kit, local tourist information, complaint forms and identification plaque.
- Owners' community: since the Horizontal Property Law reform, communities can restrict or veto tourist use. It is the FIRST thing we check in any feasibility study.
What are the steps?
- Prior verification — occupancy licence, community bylaws and municipal rules for your area. The step that prevents disasters.
- Responsible declaration before the Tourism Department (online, with digital certificate).
- Registration in the Andalusian Tourism Registry (RTA) — you receive the VFT/CO/XXXXX number that must appear on every listing.
- Police guest-reporting registration and reporting of every guest on every stay.
How much does legalising cost?
| Item | Indicative 2026 cost |
|---|---|
| Declaration / registry fee | €0 (free procedure) |
| Digital certificate / paperwork | €0 - 100 |
| Property adaptation (kit, plaque, blackout, climate) | €200 - 3,000 depending on condition |
| Specialised agency (optional) | €300 - 600 |
The real cost is rarely the paperwork — it is adapting the property (especially climate control) and the opportunity cost of doing it wrong.
Which mistakes trigger the most fines?
- Listing before having the registry number — fines from €2,000.
- Not reporting guests to the police — the most repeated offence; platforms now cross-check data.
- Ignoring the owners' community — a later resolution can shut you down.
- Yields calculated without costs — cleaning, utilities, platform fees, property tax, insurance, low season. How to calculate properly.
Our experience operating VUTs in Córdoba
We run active tourist apartments in La Magdalena, the Centre and Fuensanta, with average ratings of 4.5-4.8★. Two lessons the regulations will not teach you:
- Inspections do not knock first: keep documentation (guest reports included) permanently up to date.
- The cheap "legalisable" apartment can be very expensive: a hostile community or unsolvable ventilation turns a bargain into a problem. That is why we run the feasibility study before the purchase, not after.
Frequently asked questions
Can I operate from the day I file the declaration? Yes, if everything is correct: the responsible declaration enables activity upon filing. But if verification later finds breaches, consequences are retroactive. Our advice: do not list until you have the registry number.
Can my community ban my tourist apartment? It can restrict or ban new activity with a three-fifths majority under current Horizontal Property Law. Already-registered activities generally keep their rights, but each case needs legal analysis.
Is delegating management worth it? If you do not live in Córdoba or cannot dedicate weekly hours, yes: professional management with dynamic pricing usually earns more even after its fee. How our full management works.
Guide updated June 2026 by the Tu Inmobiliaria Córdoba team. Not individual legal advice: regulations change and every property is its own case.
Cover photo: jorcolma — Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).