From VFT to VUT: how to adapt your holiday-let registration after Decree 31/2024
Decree 31/2024, of 29 January, amends Decree 28/2016 of 2 February and introduces a new regime for holiday-let dwellings in Andalusia. As a result, the Tourism Registry of Andalusia has reorganised its nomenclature and, above all, has set an adaptation calendar for dwellings already registered under the former category of «holiday-purpose dwellings» (VFT). The Directorate-General for Tourism of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports has published a specific FAQ to guide affected owners.
This article systematises the official FAQ («Adaptation of the holiday-let dwellings registered in the Tourism Registry before the entry into force of the new Decree amending Decree 28/2016») and relates it to the consolidated provisions of Decree 28/2016. The structure is deliberately chronological: first the automatic change of signature, then the two key deadlines (6 and 12 months) with the steps and requirements each one imposes.
Automatic change of nomenclature: VFT/SE/00000 → VUT/SE/00000
The first news is good for the owner: the signature change is automatic. If your dwelling appeared as VFT/SE/00000, it is now identified as VUT/SE/00000. The Directorate-General for Tourism FAQ states it expressly: «They are automatically validated in our system, so you only need to change the VFT abbreviation to VUT in advertising, listings or web portals where you advertise your dwelling».
Update the abbreviations on all advertising media: own website, Airbnb/Booking/Vrbo listings, signage, model contracts, complaint forms, payment receipts and any document showing the registration code. The change in the Registry is performed by the Administration.
The two adaptation deadlines: 6 and 12 months
The core of the FAQ revolves around two distinct calendars to memorise:
- Between 22 February and 22 August 2024 (6 months): communicate operating periods, verify capacity and number of bathrooms, and communicate the change of ownership to the operating company if applicable.
- Between 22 February 2024 and 22 February 2025 (12 months): adapt the dwelling's material equipment (cooling and heating per the declared period, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, selective waste separation, smoke detector, extinguisher).
The deadlines are now past in literal terms, but the substantive obligation persists. If your dwelling does not comply with one of the requirements, having missed the deadline does not exempt you: inspections still verify them, and lack of effective service in the declared conditions (Article 9.2 of Decree 28/2016) may lead to cancellation of the registration.
Communication of operating periods
The most visible novelty of Decree 31/2024 is the obligation to declare in which months of the year the service will be provided. If nothing is communicated, the Administration considers that the dwelling operates all year, which will have consequences in advertising and inspection.
How it is done
The procedure is carried out with a digital certificate on the virtual office of the Junta de Andalucía, in the specific form published by the Ministry. It is an automated procedure: online, the holder receives the supporting document of the periods communicated.
Automatic annual renewal
When communicating the period, the system asks whether it will be repeated in future years. If you tick «No», a message appears reminding you to communicate the period before 1 January, to avoid sanctioning or cancellation procedures. The most practical option, unless a definite change is foreseen, is the automatic renewal.
How to modify periods
The modification form fully replaces the previously communicated periods. It does not work by addition: if you only want to add a month, you must state again all the months in which you wish to operate, because the dates you select are those that will eventually be recorded.
Capacity check and bathroom equipment
Within the first 6 months, the owner must review that the declared capacity meets the new rules. Articles 5 and 6 of Decree 28/2016 (as amended by Decree 31/2024) set out:
- Minimum surface: 25 m² built.
- Ratio per place: 14 m² built of main use per place.
- Maximum in the full group: 15 places.
- Maximum per-room group: 6 places.
- Convertible places in the living room: up to 2 places in the full group, counted toward the maximum.
- Bathrooms: 2 complete bathrooms if the capacity exceeds 5 places; 3 bathrooms above 8.
Bathroom number is communicated in the responsible declaration form (modification of registration bases), ticking the box in section 4 and filling in the capacity in section 1 of the Annex, as the FAQ expressly indicates.
Material adaptation within 12 months: HVAC, kitchen, bedrooms, safety
The second deadline (until 22 February 2025) imposes material requirements that, in many cases, demand investment. The most relevant ones are:
HVAC tied to the declared period
- If operating in May, June, July or August: cooling mandatory, centralised or not, fixed or portable, in rooms and living areas.
- If operating in December, January, February or March: heating mandatory, same flexibility, but incandescent elements and liquid/gas combustion are not allowed.
Kitchen
Two burners minimum, oven or microwave, fridge, utensils (crockery, cutlery, glassware, pans, pots, serving cutlery, corkscrew, opener, scissors, can-opener, drainer), small appliances (at least blender, toaster or grill, juicer and coffee maker), storage furniture, cleaning kit with scourer, cloth, gel cleaner and rubbish bags, and drying rack with iron and ironing board.
Safety and waste
Selective waste separation, smoke detector near the kitchen and an extinguisher.
Bedrooms
Beds at least 80×190 cm (single) or 135×190 cm (double); mattresses minimum 18 cm thick in good condition; wardrobe or space for clothes per 4 places; light point near the bed; bed linen with a replacement set.
Change of ownership to operating company
If the dwelling's management (keys handover, reception, attention, maintenance, cleaning, billing) is carried out by a company, the Decree requires that company to appear as the operating party in the Tourism Registry of Andalusia. The FAQ recalls that the operating company performs the change through the specific change-of-ownership communication form, also available on the virtual office. Automated process, with the document immediately delivered online.
If the company actually managing the dwelling does not appear as holder in the Registry, there is a dissociation between management and declared ownership that may trigger inspection. It is also worth checking the enabling legal title (Article 3.2 of the Decree), especially if the property is co-owned or belongs to several owners.
Official sources
📚 Cited official documentation
- 📜 Decree 28/2016 of 2 February, consolidated (with STS 21-10-2019, Decree 31/2024, Decree-Law 7/2024 and Decree-Law 1/2025).
- 📜 Decree 31/2024 of 29 January. BOJA No. 24, 2 February 2024.
- 📜 Decree-Law 1/2025 of 24 February.
- 📑 Official FAQ: «Adaptation of holiday-let dwellings registered in the Tourism Registry before the entry into force of the new Decree», Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports – Directorate-General for Tourism.
- 🔗 Official tourist-dwelling page – forms for operating periods and change of ownership.
- 🔗 Procedure 6631 – responsible declaration and registration-bases amendment (capacity, bathrooms).
Do you have a VFT and need to check the adaptation is up to date?
SALAMA LEGAL SLP reviews the registry inscription, the 6/12-month compliance, the communicated periods and the operating ownership, and prepares the pending forms before the Tourism Registry of Andalusia.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to do anything for the VFT to become VUT?
Not as to the nominal change. The official FAQ clarifies that the signature VFT/SE/00000 is automatically identified as VUT/SE/00000. The only obligation is to update the abbreviations on advertising, listings and web portals.
What if I have let the 6- or 12-month deadlines expire?
The substantive obligation persists. The Administration may inspect and, if it finds that the dwelling does not meet the declared conditions, may initiate a sanctioning and/or cancellation procedure (Article 9.2 of Decree 28/2016). The advisable course is to regularise pending items as soon as possible.
Can I keep advertising my dwelling as VFT?
Not correctly. Although the new signature is valid, the FAQ expressly asks holders to change the abbreviations in advertising. Keeping the old one may confuse guests and lead to a formal observation in an inspection.
Do I have to file a new responsible declaration or only communications?
It depends. Operating periods are communicated via the specific form (automated procedure). Modification of registration bases (capacity, number of bathrooms) is filed via the responsible-declaration form of procedure 6631, ticking the box in section 4 and filling in the Annex.
Should the company managing my dwelling assume operating ownership?
Yes, if it performs the main hospitality services (keys, reception, attention, cleaning, billing). The operating company must file the change of ownership through the online form. From then on it —not the owner— is the registered operating party.