Madrid – Spain ordered Airbnb to withdraw more than 65,000 announcements for vacation rental which, according to him, violated the existing rules of its platform as part of a general repression against a blamed company for having contributed to the country’s housing crisis.
Most Airbnb announcements to block do not include their license number, while others do not specify if the owner was a person or a company, the Ministry of Consumer Rights said in a statement on Monday.
The Minister of Consumer Rights, Pablo Bustinduy, said that his goal was to end the “lack of control” and general “illegality” in the vacation rental sector.
“More excuses. Enough to protect those who make a business of the right to housing in our country,” he told journalists.
Bustinduy said the High Court of Madrid supported the request to withdraw up to 5,800 ads.
Airbnb will appeal the decision, a spokesperson said on Monday. The company considers that the ministry does not have the power to make decisions on short -term rentals and has not provided a list based on non -compliant accommodation evidence. Some of the registrations incriminated are non-tourist registrations, said the spokesperson.
The Spanish government, as well as the municipal councils and the regional authorities, have launched a general repression of tourist rentals via sites such as Airbnb and Booking.com, which, according to many Spaniards, create an excess of tourism, reducing the supply of housing and making the rental unaffordable for many premises.
Housing has become a major problem in Spain, because construction has failed to keep the rate of demand since the real estate bubble broke out over 15 years ago.
According to official data, there were approximately 321,000 houses with vacation rental licenses in Spain in November from last year, 15% more than in 2020. Much more operate without official licenses.
More apologies. Enough to protect those who make a business of the right to housing in our country.
–Pablo Bustinduy, Minister of Consumer Rights
The Department of Consumer Rights opened an Airbnb survey in December and January, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez unveiled a plan to increase taxes on holiday rentals through platforms.
The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, made the most difficult decision of Spain so far in June from last year when he has ordered a total ban on tourist rentals by 2028.
Other European countries such as Croatia and Italy have also acted to slow down the vacation rental sector.
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