Benidorm police find seven suspected unlicensed Intempo holiday flats

Police inspecting Benidorm’s Intempo building found at least seven flats suspected of taking tourist guests without the required authorisation on Friday, 30 October. The Policía Nacional and the city’s Policía Local carried out the checks at the two-tower complex beside Poniente beach.

About 40 uniformed officers took part. Teams examined a selection of apartments in the Poniente and Levante towers, while a National Police public-order unit monitored people and vehicles outside. Police said residents and guests cooperated and the operation proceeded without incident.

Municipal action follows the inspection

Benidorm City Council now holds powers to inspect tourist accommodation and impose administrative penalties under a Valencian decree-law that changed the region’s tourism legislation. Its Commerce department is responsible for handling any resulting sanction proceedings.

The regional rules include a single-operator principle for tourist establishments covered by the regime. Management must rest with one accountable owner or operator, helping the authorities identify who bears administrative responsibility when a property may have breached the requirements.

The seven flats have been described as allegedly operating without a licence; no final sanction arising from this inspection has been announced. Earlier municipal enforcement is separate: at least four penalties initially set at €50,001 each were paid after those responsible accepted liability and used a 50% early-payment reduction.

Guest records may bring separate cases

Police have not ruled out further proceedings if the documentation collected indicates that accommodation operators failed to keep guest records or communicate the required data. Royal Decree 933/2021 governs those duties for accommodation and vehicle-rental businesses.

Certain breaches of the registration and reporting rules can be treated as serious public-safety offences, carrying fines from €601 to €30,000. Police say the information helps officers prevent and investigate crime, but they have not confirmed that any of the seven flats committed such an offence.

Joint checks are set to continue

The two police forces said they intend to maintain their cooperation in checking whether holiday-rental owners and managers meet both tourism and documentation requirements. The Intempo inspection combined administrative checks inside the building with a security operation outside, and responsibility for any tourist-rental penalties now lies with the council.

Sources: Europa Press and La Vanguardia.