Spain removes 65,000 Airbnb holiday rentals for breaching regulations

As part of its efforts to limit the number of tourists and protect residents from a worsening housing crisis, Spain has decided to crack down on AirBnb by ordering the removal of 65,000 accommodations for failing to comply with national regulations.

The violations, according to the Ministry of Consumer Rights, include a lack of a licence number, failure to state whether the property is owned by an individual or a company, and inconsistencies in the information provided.

Spain’s rental sector has deteriorated significantly in recent years, with mass tourism and a lack of effective regulation widely blamed for deepening the housing crisis. Many locals view platforms like Airbnb as a major driver of rising rents and property prices, particularly in tourism-heavy regions such as Andalusia and Catalonia.

Spain has ordered Airbnb to take down 66,000 holiday rental listings

Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy said, “Enough with protecting those who make a business out of the right to housing in our country” pic.twitter.com/zmPrNh7Jbv

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Protesters say they are being pushed out of their towns by gentrification and the expansion of more profitable short-term rentals. In some cases, the situation has become so acute that individuals have been found sleeping in airports, while others have taken to the streets in protest to draw attention to the crisis.

‘No more excuses. We must stop protecting those who turn the right to housing into a commercial activity in our country,’ said Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy, calling the move a necessary step to restore control over the sector.

The process began in December when the ministry opened an investigation into Airbnb. Although the company appealed, the Spanish Supreme Court sided with the government, leading to the immediate removal of 5,800 listings. Two further orders are due to follow, completing the removal of 65,935 units.

As of November last year, there were around 321,000 short-term accommodation listings in Spain, 15% more than in 2020, many of which were unlicensed.

The holiday rental giant has no intention of backing down and intends to appeal against the new ruling. A spokesman for the company told Euronews that ‘no evidence of rule breaking has been found, and the decision goes against EU and Spanish law’. He added that some of the listings targeted were of a seasonal or non-tourist nature and argued that the real solution to Spain’s housing crisis was to ‘build more houses’.

The crackdown is part of a wider campaign by the Spanish authorities against platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com, which are accused of exacerbating the housing crisis by fuelling overtourism and pushing rental prices beyond the reach of locals. In addition to enforcing stricter rental regulations, the government has proposed two key fiscal measures: a plan to increase taxes on holiday rental income and a proposal to impose a 100% tax on property purchases by non-EU nationals. Neither has yet been enacted.

Barcelona, one of the hardest hit cities, has gone further, announcing a total ban on short-term rentals by 2028 and ordering the removal of 10,000 such units.