Setting up a Hostel

Hi, my friend and I are looking into set up a Hostel in San Sebastian Spain. The problem we are coming up against is with the estate agents there. We are looking to rent a large apartment and live there. The reason we are having problems is because the estate agents have never dealt with this kind of thing before and can not say yes to using the apartment as a Hostel when they don't know whether this is aloud or not. Is this a perfectly legal thing to do ofcourse with the landlords agreement and if so how do i get this message across to them because as it stands at the moment it seems like we have hit a brick wall.
Next the only other problem is the permits or licence side of things. We are currently waiting for a responce from the San Seb city council but i wonder if you have any advise on this area and ofcourse any other advise regarding the whole idea would be greatly appreciated. thankyou - Craig

Hello Craig,

For you to be able to run a holiday/tourist accommodation business such a as Hostel, you need to meet a series of rules that each municipality and province in particular establishes to be able to obtain the opening and other relevant licenses. Also, the owner of the building/dwelling will have be in agreement with the activity you wish to carry out.

We recommend you to appoint a local lawyer to assist and advice throughout the whole process as it is a complex matter that requires the participation of an expert.

Regards,

Opening a hostel is not an uncommon dream among travelers who return from a trip around the world, and in principle, it sounds like a great idea: get to sit around all day swapping travel tales with everyone who passes through your hostel door and get paid for the pleasure. Money really matters to put up this business.