There are thought to be between 3,000 and 4,000 homes for short-term rent in Almería. Now there's a new law to regulate this (and make it, hopefully, preferable to stick with the hotels) called 'el Registro de Turismo de Andalucía'. Owners need to register and they'll get a special rent-a-house Number, which must be used on all Internet advertising. In the first five days of the new law, only 60 owners had registered, says Ideal.
The rentals also need a certain amount of 'equipaje', more, certainly, than most private houses possess - and there's a limit to the number of beds one can offer in a rental. there are some exceptions to the new rules, including Casas Rurales (who have a different set of rules). But, that's tourism.