The Dreaded Plaque
One of the things I get asked about a lot by people applying for Tourist Board Licenses are the terms and conditions of putting up the plaque, and is it REALLY necessary??
The short answer to the letter of the law is ‘YES’ and the official letter you receive when you get your code is very clear on this, listing the next key steps and the things you have to comply with to fully complete the registration process.
As ever, straight from the ‘horse’s mouth’ (ok, the Inspector’s mouth) here are the key things you need to know:
The official version of the plaque is the larger version. Although you may have seen some homes with a smaller plaque, this is only permitted when the properties are registered to an agent and the agent then has to display the larger plaque in their office.
The best position for the plaque is close to the front door. This makes it visible and identifies the property quickly as a legal rental, but there is a little flexibility on this. Some of my clients have asked me to check with the inspectors at the time of their visit if they can place the plaque in a slightly different and less visible location and within reason the answer is ‘yes’.
In apartment buildings and blocks of flats it is not feasible to place the plaque by the front door and sometimes it is even against community rules. In this case you can place the plaque inside the apartment if you choose.
If you sell the property and the new owner does NOT want to rent, then the property needs to be re-registered and the plaque removed.
A lot of people seem to have tried to do the process themselves, but don’t complete it fully, as they don’t understand the requirements laid out in the official letter. On receipt of your code, you have 15 days to follow up with the final actions to complete the process and my clients on the ‘full license pack’ are given translations of their letters and support in English every step of the way.
Putting in the paperwork is NOT the only part of the registration process. It is clear from the number of people who contact me saying they registered up to 2 years ago and have not had a response, that people are not following the correct process and think they have submitted an application but actually have not.
Turismo tell me that in May 2019 they received in 1 month more license applications than in the whole year in 2018, so if the paperwork is not complete and correct, they do not have the time to check or reply. The application will just be ignored.
If you have any doubts about your ability to understand the rules and the procedure, please leave it to the experts!!
Liz Edmiston
Murcia Solutions
Tel + 34 662 556 433
liz@murciasolutions.com
liz.edmiston@remax.es