Spain hits 'boiling point' and people who break rule will 'have water taken away'
Spain has reached "boiling point" over its illegal letting situation - with the European Union now SHUTTING OFF water for some who flout rules. Spain has been swarmed by overcrowding protests this summer as locals react with rage to rising tides of visitors.
Now, it has been reporting landlords illegally renting their apartments to tourists in the southern Spanish city of Seville could find their water cut off amid a crackdown by the local mayor's office to curb the spread of short-term lets that is angering locals.
The office of Seville's mayor announced this week it is reviewing all the city's holiday apartments and will ask the local state-run water company Emasesa to cut off water supply to properties that do not comply with regulations, if they continue to let them out.
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Six holiday lets have already lost their mains water supply, but the authorities in Seville claim that there could be as many as 5,000 illegal apartments – in addition to the 10,000 that have been granted licences. The move has led to grave concerns for the flats' owners – many of who are based in the US.
The water will only be switched back on, officials say, once the owners can demonstrate that the apartments are being used as legitimate residences. The review has so far identified 715 apartments that do not comply with regulations passed in 2022 that stipulate that holiday rentals must have an independent entrance if they are above the first floor, according to a source from the mayor's office, who asked not to be named because the source is not authorised to speak to the media.
The mayor's office estimates that between 5,000 to 7,000 holiday lets in Seville are operating illegally, while another 8,000 to 9,000 comply with regulations, according to the source. A bill currently passing through Seville's parliament plans to ban any more licenses for holiday lets in the old town and the colourful neighbourhood of Triana across the river.