Spain turns to blockchain to register properties for tourists

This article was written and published in Spanish and has been translated into English via Google Translate. Click here to read the original article.

The Association of Registrars of Spain (CRE) announced the launch of a service to register properties with tourist use, which is based on a blockchain. The platform, called REGTURI, was presented at the V National Congress of Registrars of Spain, held in Seville.

Rocío Perteguer, who is the Director of Environment, Consumers and Users, was the speaker of the day. She explained that with this new system the authorities can identify which properties are legally available for your tourist rental. It also offers the ability to organize and connect the various agencies responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of the Spanish tourism industry.

The objective of the REGTURI program is to reduce the risks of fraud in the tourism services and intermediaries sector. According to complaints processed by the Association of Registrars, there are nowadays irregularities in Spain when renting a vacation home. The authorities pointed out cases of homes in the process of sale that were rented to tourists or ex-partners, which offered the departments of one of their conjuguer.

Experts believe that the lack of communication and collaboration between different administrations leads to these irregularities. Because of this, they have devised the REGTURI platform, which has the ability to connect tenants, landlords, registered and even the police.

How does it work?

REGTURI is a rental certification and registration service that can be used to transmit documents between different entities. Registrars validate a home for tourist use, based on the property registry and its rating, Perteguer said. In the same way, they will take into account all the data of the property, the statute of its owner and the territorial regulations.

Perteguer said that the platform generates an "object code" for any house, apartment or premises that is validated and registered. This means that the property is registered in the government blockchain as suitable for rent. Also, when the registrar liquidates the real estate contract, a block with all the data is generated.

Other Spanish sources say that approximately 1,100 registration offices in Spain could have access to the platform to verify the veracity of the properties. Similarly, the new system could contemplate the operation of platforms such as Airbnb, which has gained popularity in Europe in recent years.

The Registrar's Association has been working in the blockchain ecosystem since 2018, then joining the Alastria consortium. But everything indicates that the institution has not only been researching this technology for more than a year, but also plans to take its projects to other latitudes. María Marín, Director of Office of the European Parliament of Spain, said that REGTURI is one of the candidates to appear in the Horizon program of the European Union.

Blockchain in everyone's mouth

The REGTURI platform was presented last week in front of more than 300 people, an audience that met at the V National Congress of Registrars of Spain. The event not only convened the College of Registrars, but also politicians and prosecutors, who made their views known about the blockchain ecosystem.

Sebastían del Rey, spokesperson for Corporate Social Responsibility, said a blockchain will not replace lawyers. The authorities consider that human resources are still essential to provide true legal certainty. In this sense, they see new technologies as allies and not substitutes, which can help offer more efficient public services.

On the other hand, Toni Ferrer, representative of the PSOE political party, also recognized the importance of Artificial Intelligence and technologies related to a blockchain in governance systems. Ferrer pointed out that new technologies help protect fundamental rights and broaden the voice of citizens. A group of statements that suggests that blockchains technologies in Spain are an issue that is increasingly being discussed at the governmental level.

This article was written and published in Spanish and has been translated into English via Google Translate. Click here to read the original article.

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