Spain's Consumer Rights Ministry has ordered Airbnb to block nearly 66,000 of its rental listings because of rule violations, according to AP News.
Already grappling with a housing affordability crisis that has spurred government action against short-term rentals, the ministry noted that these Airbnb listings did not include their license number or identify whether the owner was an individual or a company. Additionally, other listings did not match what authorities had on file.
Tens of thousands of Spaniards have taken to the streets in protest of rising housing and rental costs that some say have been driven up by vacation rentals on sites such as Airbnb, proliferating cities like Madrid, Barcelona and other top Spanish tourist destinations.
Consumer Minister Pablo Bustinduy told reporters in a statement, “Enough already with protecting those who make business out of the right to housing.”
In 2024, Barcelona announced a plan to close down all of the 10,000 apartments licensed in the city as short-term rentals by 2028 to safeguard the housing supply for full-time residents.
Airbnb says it will appeal the decision, claiming that the ministry was not authorized to rule on short-term rentals and that it utilized “an indiscriminate methodology” to include Airbnb rentals that don’t need a license to operate.
The ministry said it notified Airbnb of the noncompliant listing months ago, backed by Madrid’s high court, but the company chose to appeal the move in court. The notification called for the immediate removal of 5,800 rental listings from the site with two subsequent orders issued until the nearly 66,000 removals are reached.
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