Spain Orders Airbnb to Block More Than 65,000 Holiday Rentals
The Spanish's government order is the latest move to crack down on short-term rentals in response to the shortage of affordable housing.
Spanish authorities ordered Airbnb to remove more than 65,000 listings for holiday rentals, which the government said violated existing rules, Reuters reported.
Spain's Consumer Rights Ministry said in a statement on Monday that most of the Airbnb listings to be blocked do not include their license number while others did not state whether the owner was an individual or a corporation. The ministry opened a probe into Airbnb last December.
The order comes amid a crackdown in Spain on the short-term rental industry, which some have blamed in part for Spain's shortage of affordable housing. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced in January that the government would raise taxes on holiday rentals while Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni said last June the city would ban all short-term rentals by 2029.
Roughly 321,000 homes in Spain had holiday rental licenses as of last November, according to official data. That's up 15% from 2020.
"No more excuses. Enough with protecting those who make a business out of the right to housing in our country," said Consumer Minister Pablo Bustinduy, according to Reuters, adding his goal was to end the general "lack of control" and "illegality" in the holiday rental business.
Bustinduy said that Madrid's high court backed the order, which would involve the immediate removal of 5,800 rental listings. He said two subsequent orders would be issued until the roughly 66,000 removals are reached.
Airbnb said it would appeal the Spanish government's order.
'No evidence of rule-breaking by hosts has been put forward, and the decision goes against EU and Spanish law, and a previous ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court," an Airbnb spokesperson told Skift. "The root cause of the affordable housing crisis in Spain is a lack of supply to meet demand. The solution is to build more homes - anything else is a distraction."
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