Spain orders Airbnb to block 65,000 holiday rentals over rule violations

MADRID (AP) — On Monday, the Spanish government announced that they had issued an order for Airbnb will blacklist over 65,000 vacation rentals. On its platform for breaching guidelines.

The consumer rights ministry stated that out of the 65,935 Airbnb listings they had instructed to be removed, numerous entries failed to provide their licensing information or clarify if the host was an individual or a business entity. Additionally, some listings contained incorrect phone numbers compared to those registered with the authorities.

Spain is currently struggling with a housing affordability crisis This has led to governmental measures being taken against short-term rental firms.

In recent months, tens of thousands of people from Spain have ventured into the streets for protests Increasing expenses for homes and rentals, with numerous people attributing this rise to the surge of vacation accommodations available on sites such as Airbnb in urban areas like Madrid and Barcelona and various other top travel spots.

Last year, Barcelona revealed plans to shut down all of the 10,000 flats licensed within the city as short-term rentals by 2028 to protect the housing supply for permanent residents.

An Airbnb representative was unavailable for immediate comment.

The Spanish government stated that the initial batch of rental properties impacted by the directive spans various regions nationwide, encompassing areas such as Madrid, which serves as the nation’s capital; Andalusia; and Catalonia with its main city being Barcelona.