Alhaurín de la Torre has 372 registered VUT properties (Junta de Andalucía data). For the inland Costa del Sol, that's an unusually dense short-let market — by comparison, Coín has 101 VUTs and Alhaurín el Grande has 198. The implication for owners considering new short-let licensing in Alhaurín de la Torre: building-level comunidad-vote dynamics under the April 2025 LPH amendment matter materially. More than they do in less-dense markets.
This is the practical guide.
What the April 2025 LPH amendment actually does
The Ley de Propiedad Horizontal (LPH) — the Spanish horizontal-property law that governs apartment buildings and gated developments — was amended in April 2025 to require a 3/5 majority vote of the comunidad de propietarios (owners' community) for any NEW VUT short-let licence application in community buildings.
Three key points:
Existing VUTs are grandfathered. A licence granted before April 2025 continues under the previous regime; no community vote needed retrospectively.
The vote applies to NEW applications. Owners adding a new property to short-let after April 2025 in an apartment building or gated development must have the comunidad vote in their favour.
The vote is property-by-property. It's not a one-time blanket community decision; each new VUT application triggers a vote.
Why density matters
In a building or urbanización with 0-2 existing VUTs, the comunidad's previous vote position may not exist or may be informal. New VUT applications often go through quickly with majority support.
In a building or urbanización with 5-15 existing VUTs, the comunidad has typically had multiple vote events and developed a clear position — sometimes permissive, sometimes restrictive, often situational (allowing existing VUTs to continue but blocking new ones).
In Alhaurín de la Torre, with 372 VUTs distributed across the municipality's residential building stock, the per-building density is high enough that vote dynamics have become formalised in many comunidades. A new VUT application in Alhaurín de la Torre usually walks into an established comunidad position rather than starting one from scratch.
What owners should check before any new VUT application
Three pre-application steps that materially affect success:
1. Read the comunidad minutes for the previous 24-36 months.
The comunidad's previous votes on VUT applications, restrictions, or rules amendments tell you the position. We pull this for every Alhaurín de la Torre property we consider managing. If the minutes show consistent restrictive votes, applying without first changing the comunidad position is wasted effort.
2. Verify whether the comunidad statutes have been amended.
Some Alhaurín de la Torre comunidades have amended their building statutes to formally restrict VUT short-let. A statute amendment goes further than a vote — it's the rule of the building, and overcoming it requires a statute amendment in the opposite direction (typically 3/5 or higher majority).
3. Talk to the administrador de fincas.
The professional administrator of the comunidad has working knowledge of the building's vote dynamics, current owner positions, and any pending statute amendments. Ten minutes with the administrador can save weeks of misdirected effort.
What to do if the building's position is restrictive
Three practical paths:
Path A — Accept the restriction; pivot to long-stay or mid-stay rental.
Long-stay (LAU-regulated) and mid-stay (1-3 month) rental don't require VUT and don't trigger the comunidad vote. For many Alhaurín de la Torre properties, the mid-stay rental layer (relocating professionals, frequent travellers) delivers materially better annual income than fragmented short-let anyway. This is the recommendation we land on for many Alhaurín de la Torre apartment owners.
Path B — Work to change the comunidad position.
Possible but slow. Requires engaging with neighbours, presenting the operational case, and rallying enough votes to achieve a 3/5 reverse majority. Realistic timeline: 12-24 months. Worth it only if short-let is the materially better operational mix for the specific property.
Path C — Sell the property and buy in a permissive building.
For owners whose primary use case requires short-let viability, this can be the cleanest path. But it carries significant transaction friction and works only when the property's current value and the alternative property's price align.
What this means for Alhaurín de la Torre apartment owners specifically
Most Alhaurín de la Torre apartment buildings now have an established comunidad position. Three categories:
Permissive comunidades: VUT applications proceed normally. Common in established residential urbanizaciones with multiple long-standing VUTs.
Restrictive comunidades: New VUT applications blocked. More common in newer family-residential buildings where owners have voted to preserve quieter character.
Mixed/situational comunidades: VUT applications subject to property-specific assessment. Common in larger urbanizaciones where some buildings allow it and others don't.
We classify every Alhaurín de la Torre apartment property we consider managing into one of these three before any management agreement is discussed.
What detached villas don't have to worry about
Owners of detached villas without a comunidad de propietarios — true single-family freestanding properties — don't trigger the LPH amendment at all. The VUT application proceeds through the Junta de Andalucía declaración responsable without any community vote requirement.
That said, urbanizaciones containing detached villas often DO have a comunidad governing shared infrastructure (roads, security, common gardens). Whether the LPH amendment applies depends on the specific urbanización statutes — worth verifying.
Glaser's role
Three things at the discovery call for Alhaurín de la Torre owners:
Honest assessment of the comunidad position for the specific property. Pulled from minutes and administrador conversation.
Realistic operational recommendation based on the comunidad reality. Long-stay-only / mid-stay-only / short-let-permitted / mixed.
Realistic income range for the recommended operational mix.
We don't push short-let where the comunidad position makes it unviable. The mid-stay layer in Alhaurín de la Torre is strong enough that long-stay/mid-stay-leaning operational mixes deliver real annual income; pretending short-let is universally available wastes everyone's time.
If you own an Alhaurín de la Torre property and want an honest assessment of where you stand on comunidad-vote dynamics — and what the realistic operational mix is — request the discovery call.