Walter Finch
THE Mayor of Malaga has asked the Junta to close down tourist flats in a pair of new luxury tower blocks after a campaign by ‘radical anti-tourism activists.’
As many as 124 of the 141 holiday rentals in the Martiricos towers in Malaga are set to be deregistered as they do not meet the new requirements due to Francisco de la Torre’s intervention.
The request was prompted by residents who claim that the spread of tourist apartments has created a ‘living hell’ for them.
The recent partial evacuation of the south building due to a fire extinguisher being let off on the 17th floor has been the latest source of anger.
Other complaints include tourists having loud parties, excessive trash, and vandalism – not to mention aggressive and drunken behaviour.
But one tourist flat owner, Juan Cubo – who is also vice president of the Andalucian Association of Tourist Housing Professionals – blamed the problems on a ‘small group of radicals’ stirring up trouble.
“There is no problem with coexistence; what we have here is tourism-phobia and a hatred of foreigners,” he told SUR.
“The elevators are full of graffiti against tourists – it’s passive-aggressive behaviour,” he continued.
“It’s crucial to emphasise that we’re not talking about all the property owners, just ten or twelve individuals who feed off each other’s negativity.”
The newly-built towers, spread over 30 floors and reaching 110 metres into the sky, are the second tallest buildings in Andalucia.
Property prices range from €340,000 all the way up to over a million euros, with many available apartments hovering around the €900,000 mark.
According to Cubo, 80% of the 450 flats in the towers belong to second-home buyers, but only a proportion of them rent them out to tourists.
Information from the official Tourism Registry of the Junta de Andalucía indicates that there are 141 tourist apartments in both buildings, amounting to 31% of the total.
In the south tower, where the complaints are most vociferous, the concentration rises to 44% of the 252 units.
However, the majority of these tourist apartments may fall foul of new city ordinance that seeks to limit their spread.
A new Andalucian decree that came into effect on February 22 allows local authorities discretion to block short-term rentals which attempt to register after that date.
In a second blow to tourist apartment owners, a June 10 directive requires holiday rentals to have independent access from the rest of the building, and separate utilities such as water and electricity.
This directive is being applied retroactively to apartments registered after the February 22 cut-off.
As a result, only 17 apartments – which were registered before the cut-off date – will be allowed to continue operating as holiday rentals.
However, the process of deregistering these apartments is expected to take time.
The Junta has acknowledged that this is a new situation for their officials, requiring a lengthy administrative process that could last several months.
During this time, the affected apartments will still be able to operate, much to the frustration of the permanent residents.
