Having an apartment on the Costa del Sol is a good asset. But between having it and getting the real yield it can provide, there is a considerable distance, and that distance is almost always explained by the same repeated mistakes.
At Koti Rentals we manage properties in Fuengirola, La Cala de Mijas and Benalmádena, and we see every day the difference between a flat that works well and one that only seems to work. The good news is that the most expensive mistakes are also the easiest to correct. These are the five that cost the most money.
1. Neglecting the legal status of the property
It is the most expensive mistake of all, because it does not reduce your income: it can completely eliminate it.
In Andalusia, renting a property for tourist purposes requires being registered in the Andalusian Tourism Registry and having the corresponding code, which must also appear in all advertising for the accommodation. Decree 31/2024 renamed the figure—which was previously known as VFT—and now it is called VUT, tourist housing— and added specific material requirements: mandatory heating if you operate between October and April, cooling if you operate in the summer months, first aid kit, smoke detector, fire extinguisher, waste separation, minimum kitchen equipment and the obligation to declare the periods of operation. If you do not report these periods, the Administration understands that you operate all year round, which means that this is a factor to consider when conducting an inspection.
To this are added two more layers. The Decree-Law 1/2025 The sanctioning regime has been tightened —with fines that can reach very high figures— and, from 2025, requires the express agreement of three-fifths of the community of owners to allocate a dwelling for tourist use in buildings under horizontal ownership. And on the operational level, the registration of travelers through the platform SES.Hospedajes It is mandatory for all accommodations.
An important current development: during 2025 a single state registry was implemented that assigned a registration number through the College of Registrars. In May 2026, the Supreme Court annulled that part of Royal Decree 1312/2024, considering that the State was encroaching on autonomous regional competences, so the obligation to obtain that state registration number ceased to be enforceable from the publication of the judgment. The single digital window and the obligations of the platforms to share data remain in place. The practical reading for the owner is clear: What qualifies you to rent is the regional registration, not the state registration, And that remains as mandatory as ever.
Finally, the fiscal side. Income from tourist rentals is declared, and doing it wrong —or not doing it at all— is the quickest route to an inspection, especially now that platforms are required to report activity data to the Administration.
This section is indicative and the regulations change frequently; it is advisable to consult an advisor or official sources before making any decisions.
2. Set a fixed price for the entire year
It's surprisingly common: the owner decides on a rate, leaves it in place and forgets about it. The result is that they lose money in two directions at once.
In high season, with demand skyrocketing, that fixed price is giving away nights below what the market pays without batting an eyelid. And in low season, the same price turns out to be too high for the level of demand, so the flat remains empty. A closed apartment doesn’t generate zero: it generates losses, because community fees, IBI, insurance and minimum utilities continue to run.
A serious pricing management works with dynamic calendars, adjusts for seasonality, day of the week, local events, and booking advance, and reviews what the direct competition is doing in the same area. The difference between pricing well and pricing by inertia is easily measured in several thousand euros per year.
3. Ignoring the middle season and leaving the winter empty
This is the specific flaw of the Costa del Sol, and it is the one that leaves the most profitability on the table.
Many owners think of their property exclusively in terms of summer: July and August at full capacity, Holy Week and some holidays, and the rest of the year practically closed. But the Costa del Sol has a second engine that works just when holiday tourism dies down: the real estate market. Norwegian winter clothes. Every year, thousands of Finns, Swedes, Norwegians and Danes settle here from October to April, fleeing the lack of light from the north, and looking for accommodation for stays of three to six months.
This type of tenant is, in many ways, the dream of any landlord: long stays that drastically reduce turnover, cleaning costs, and calendar gaps; careful and compliant guests; and a very high repeat rate, to the point that it is not uncommon for the same family to return to the same apartment for years.
Combining a short season in the summer months with a medium season in the winter turns an seasonal asset into one that produces practically all year round. Ignoring that second leg is simply giving up half the business.
4. Advertise the property with bad photos and a poor description
In a market where the customer decides by swiping a finger across a screen, photography is not just a cosmetic detail: it is your showcase, your advertisement and your price argument, all at once.
Photos taken with a mobile phone, poorly lit, with the bed not framed properly or with shots that cut the room in half not only generate fewer clicks: they undermine the perception of value of the accommodation. Two identical floors with different photos can have very different rates, and the investment in a good professional photo shoot usually pays off in a few bookings.
The same applies to the text. A generic four-line description doesn’t sell. The guest wants to know how many minutes it takes to get to the beach, whether the wifi can handle a video call, if there’s an elevator, if the kitchen is really equipped, if the building has a pool and if parking is available. Every question you don’t answer is a reservation that goes to another ad. And here’s a relevant nuance on the Costa del Sol: if your audience is international, the ad should be well written in several languages, not translated in any way.
5. Save on maintenance, cleaning and guest service
The fifth mistake is the most silent, because it is not noticed in the first reservation but in the fifty following ones.
Cutting corners on cleaning, delaying small repairs, or taking hours to respond to a message have a direct and measurable consequence: reviews. And reviews are the asset that supports your positioning on any platform and your ability to maintain high prices. A few bad reviews for a boiler that no one fixed or for some sheets that weren’t up to standard can cost you months of visibility.
Another classic: the lack of actual availability. If the guest arrives at eleven o'clock at night and there is no one to open the door for them, or if the air conditioning breaks in August and it takes three days to fix it, the problem isn't just that stay. It's the review, and everything that comes after.
Andalucian regulations actually require a 24-hour customer service phone number. But beyond the legal obligation, it is quick service that separates a hotel that bills and one that also retains customers.