Spain Block More Than 65,000 Vacation Rental Ads

Spain's Ministry of Consumer Affairs announced on Monday that it has ordered short-term rental giant Airbnb to remove more than 65,000 listings from its platform, citing violations of existing housing regulations, Azernews reports.

The move is part of a broader national and regional crackdown on unlicensed vacation rentals, which many Spanish citizens and local officials blame for driving up housing costs, reducing long-term rental availability, and contributing to overtourism in cities like Barcelona, Madrid, and Seville.

According to a statement from the ministry, most of the affected Airbnb listings lacked a required license number, while others failed to disclose whether the host was a private individual or a business entity, as reported by Reuters.

Consumer Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy said the government aims to end the widespread“lack of control” and“illegality” in the vacation rental sector.“Our objective is clear: to defend access to housing, enforce the law, and protect consumer rights,” he added.

The Spanish government is not acting alone. City councils and regional governments across the country have joined forces in what has become a coordinated campaign against short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.

In one of the most dramatic steps to date, Barcelona's Mayor Jaume Collboni announced in June 2024 a total ban on tourist apartment rentals by 2028, a first in Spanish history. The city, long plagued by high rents and a saturated tourism industry, is hoping this measure will rebalance the housing market in favor of residents.

Spain's efforts echo similar moves in other European cities. Amsterdam, Paris, and Berlin have all introduced stricter regulations on short-term rentals in recent years. What sets Spain apart is the scale and coordination of its campaign-and the growing political consensus that curbing short-term rentals is essential to solving the country's housing crisis.

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