Why Spain
Spain’s coastline. Done properly.
Marbella and Alicante offer proven infrastructure, year-round demand and decades of international buyer trust. The opportunity now is knowing which stock can still legally generate a return.
The rule that changes everything
Spain didn’t ban tourist rentals. It just made most old apartments unable to get one.
Spain’s reform of the Horizontal Property Law means any apartment in an existing residential building now needs a 60% majority vote from the whole building’s owners, by both headcount and ownership share, before it can legally operate as a short-term tourist let. Existing neighbours, who get none of the income and all of the wear on the lift, the pool and the entrance, are voting these applications down across the country.
The only properties exempt from this vote are those that already had a valid tourist licence in place before 3 April 2024. Everything else, every resale apartment bought today with the intention of renting it out to tourists, now depends on winning over a room full of existing residents who have no reason to say yes.
An older resale apartment
- Sits in a mixed building with long-term residents
- Needs 60% owner approval, by number and by share, to get a new tourist licence
- Existing residents have no financial incentive to vote yes
- Even if approved, can face higher community fees for short-term-let units
- Resale value and rental upside both depend on a vote you don’t control
A new-build branded residence
- Built from day one as a single tourism-use development
- No mixed community of long-term residents who can vote it down
- Licensing is part of the development’s structure, not an afterthought
- Operated under a recognised hotel brand, with professional management built in
- The legal and operational basis for rental income is fixed before you buy, not voted on after
Why we only deal in new-build, licensed branded stock
Most agents on the coast will show you anything with a sea view, resale or new-build, licensed or not, and let the buyer find out about the rental restrictions afterwards. We don’t, because the majority of our clients are buying specifically for a stable, legally secured rental return, not just a lifestyle purchase they hope they can rent out.
That’s why we specialise exclusively in new-build branded residences with tourist licences already structured into the development. It’s a narrower part of the market, but it’s the part where the numbers you’re shown at the point of sale are still the numbers you can legally achieve five years later.
Two coasts, one strategy
Marbella and Alicante: different markets, the same underlying logic
Marbella anchors the Costa del Sol’s established luxury market, while Alicante province has quietly become Spain’s third-largest luxury property market, recently overtaking Marbella on transaction volume. Both are led by branded residence development, and both are seeing the same divide between resale stock losing rental flexibility and new-build stock built to keep it.
Marbella & the Costa del Sol
Foreign buyers account for nearly four in ten transactions across Málaga province, with Marbella and Benahavís leading Europe in branded residence development. Average asking prices for apartments now exceed €6,100 per square metre.
Alicante & the Costa Blanca
Alicante province has overtaken Marbella to become Spain’s third-largest luxury property market, with international buyers now accounting for over half of all transactions, the highest share of any province in Spain.
Established luxury, deep brand presence
Spain’s fastest-rising luxury market
Sources: MITMA notarial data; Tinsa by Accumin / Expansion, January 2026; European.realestate, May 2026; Idealista, 2026.
Hospitality investment
The branded residence wave is already here
The Costa del Sol leads Europe in branded residence development, and Alicante’s luxury sector is now seeing several international hotel groups plan new branded schemes of its own. This isn’t a speculative trend, it’s the established direction of travel for new development on both coasts, precisely because branded, purpose-built stock is the part of the market that still works cleanly under the new rental rules.
Access
The most proven transport infrastructure on the Mediterranean
Unlike emerging markets still building out their connectivity, Marbella and Alicante sit on decades of established air, road and rail infrastructure built specifically around international tourism and second-home demand.
Two major international airports
Málaga–Costa del Sol Airport serves Marbella directly, while Alicante–Elche Airport handled over 18.6 million passengers in 2025 alone.
High-speed rail connections
The AVE network links both regions to Madrid and the rest of Spain, with continued investment in the Mediterranean Corridor improving Alicante’s connectivity further.
Mature road networks
Both coasts benefit from decades-old motorway infrastructure connecting every major resort town, golf development and marina along the coastline.
Climate & lifestyle
The original Mediterranean lifestyle, still delivering on its promise
Marbella and the Costa del Sol average over 300 sunny days a year. Alicante and the Costa Blanca offer a near-identical climate with a slightly lower cost base, which is part of why the province now draws international buyers in such numbers. Both regions combine genuine year-round sunshine with decades of mature tourist infrastructure, fine dining, golf, marinas and healthcare that newer markets are still years away from matching.
Over 300 days of sunshine a year
A genuinely temperate, dry Mediterranean climate on both coasts, supporting year-round occupancy rather than a short summer season.
Established healthcare and amenities
Alicante province ranks among Spain’s top areas for both public and private healthcare, with over 20 championship golf courses and several world-class marinas across the wider region.
Buying with confidence
No restrictions, a transparent process, and decades of buyer protection
Spain places no restrictions on foreign nationals purchasing property, and both regions have decades of experience handling international buyers, with English-speaking notaries, lawyers and agents a standard part of the process in Marbella and across the Costa Blanca.
No restrictions for foreign buyers
Foreign nationals can buy property in Spain freely, with no residency requirement and a purchase process well understood by UK and European buyers.
A mature, regulated process
Notary-verified title transfer, an established NIE registration process, and decades of legal precedent protecting buyers in both regions.
A note on accuracy: Spain ended its Golden Visa residency-by-investment scheme in April 2025, so property purchase alone no longer provides a route to Spanish residency. This doesn’t affect ownership rights or rental potential, but it’s worth knowing upfront for any buyer considering relocation alongside investment.
The coastline hasn’t changed. The rules around it have.
Marbella and Alicante remain two of the most proven property markets in Europe. The opportunity now lies in knowing exactly which stock keeps working under the new rental rules, and that’s the only stock we sell.
Speak to our team