The Málaga City Council has initiated the public exhibition of a modification to the General Urban Planning Plan of 2011 to strengthen residential use over tourist use. The period for objections runs from 20 July to 17 August 2026.
The Málaga City Council has taken the first formal step to allow the city to limit the establishment of tourist apartments in residential areas. The modification of the General Urban Planning Plan (PGOU) of 2011 has been on public exhibition since 20 July and will continue until 17 August 2026. During this month, any resident, association, or entity can submit objections to the text.
The municipal proposal aims for the use of accommodation to cease being an automatic alternative use of residential. Until now, in many ordinances of the PGOU, it was sufficient for a plot to be classified as residential for it to host tourist accommodation without further procedures. With the change, any project of this type must be specifically justified and submitted to the corresponding planning instruments.
A brake on accommodation in residential land
The modification directly affects detailed regulation number 28 of the PGOU, which governs uses in residential land. The goal of the governing team is to strengthen the protection of habitual housing against tourist pressure, which in recent years has driven up rental prices and reduced availability for residents in areas such as the Centre, La Malagueta, or the Teatinos area.
According to municipal sources, the measure does not prohibit tourist apartments, but it does establish that they cannot be automatically established where the PGOU recognizes residential use. Each initiative must have an urban report that certifies its compatibility with the environment and the urban structure.
The public exhibition is an administrative procedure that does not imply final approval. After the objection period, the file will return to the municipal Plenary for debate and, if applicable, initial and subsequent final approval. The City Council expects the process to be completed before the end of 2026.
Ground floor premises: more conditions to convert to housing
The second aspect of the PGOU modification focuses on changes of use of ground floor commercial premises to housing. The City Council wants to regulate a practice that has surged in recent years, especially in the Centre and in expanding neighbourhoods such as Carranque or La Trinidad.
The text proposes that these changes of use are not allowed on first and second order road axes, nor in premises with facades or access to squares. Additionally, future homes must meet minimum requirements for lighting, ventilation, and space configuration, to prevent the creation of substandard housing in basements or semi-basements that have been converted.
The measure responds to the growing demand for housing in the capital, which has led many owners to transform old businesses into apartments, often without adequate habitability conditions. The City Council aims to ensure that any new ground floor housing meets minimum quality standards and does not deteriorate the urban space.
For the residents of Málaga, this modification could translate into a more stable rental offer that is less focused on tourism. However, the real estate sector warns that stricter regulation could reduce the supply of legal tourist apartments and drive up the black market for unlicensed holiday rentals.
A procedure that still needs to complete its course
The public exhibition is just one phase of the urban procedure. After 17 August, the City Council will collect the objections and prepare a definitive text that must be approved by the Plenary. After that, the Junta de Andalucía must give final approval. The new regulations are expected to come into force at the beginning of 2027.
Meanwhile, owners of tourist apartments and promoters of changes of use on the ground floor must stay alert to the evolution of the file. The City Council recommends that interested parties consult the document on the municipal website or at the Urbanism offices to learn in detail about the proposed conditions.
For those who wish to submit objections, the deadline is tight: from 20 July to 17 August. Suggestions can be addressed to the Urbanism Area of the Málaga City Council, preferably by electronic registration. The future of housing in the capital is at stake this summer of 2026.
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