Spain has instructed Airbnb to remove over 65,000 holiday listings from its platform for violating local regulations, according to the Consumer Rights Ministry. The listings in question failed to provide required details such as license numbers or clarify whether the property owner was an individual or a company. In some cases, the numbers listed did not match the records held by authorities.
Spain is facing a housing affordability crisis, which has led the government to take action against short-term rental services like Airbnb. There have been widespread protests in cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, where rising housing and rental prices are seen as exacerbated by the growing presence of short-term rentals catering to tourists.
Consumer Minister Pablo Bustinduy expressed frustration, saying, “Enough already with protecting those who make a business out of the right to housing.” Last year, Barcelona also announced plans to phase out 10,000 short-term rental licenses by 2028 in an effort to protect housing availability for permanent residents.
The government notified Airbnb about the noncompliant listings several months ago, but the company contested the order in court. On Monday, Spain’s high court upheld the government’s decision, leading to the immediate removal of 5,800 listings from Airbnb, with more to follow until nearly 66,000 listings are removed.
The affected listings are located across Spain, including in Madrid, Andalusia, and Catalonia, where Barcelona is the capital. Airbnb has not yet responded to requests for comment.
