Spain’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs has been tracking all tourist apartment listings in the city of Madrid, and the numbers don’t add up. The department, led by Pablo Bustinduy, has counted a total of 16,335 properties, yet according to Madrid City Council’s figures, only 1,131 licences have been granted.
This discrepancy presents a ‘very concerning’ issue for the local government, according to the ministry, with more than 15,200 tourist apartments operating illegally in one of the cities hardest hit by the housing crisis.
On Monday, the ministry forwarded all the information to Madrid City Council and urged Mayor José Luis Martínez Almeida to exercise his authority and request the removal of these listings from rental portals, such as Airbnb. In order to do this, the ministry has provided exact addresses and information that can help identify the owners of some of the illegal apartments. The ministry said that this will enable the council to ‘initiate actions to cease their activity and launch sanctioning procedures’, according to an official statement.
Bustinduy said that the illegal tourist apartments were ‘limiting the right to decent housing and driving residents out of neighbourhoods’.
The 15,200 unlicensed properties place Madrid among ‘the Spanish cities with the highest concentration of illegal tourist apartments’, the ministry said. They have asked the mayor ‘to investigate these accommodations, shut down their operations, and impose penalties, as well as remove the listings from these platforms’.
To support enforcement, the ministry has handed over a digital file that includes highly detailed data -addresses, URLs, and host details – designed to help local authorities identify illegal operators.
The ministry’s goal is not only to shut down unauthorised tourist rentals but also to return these properties to the long-term rental market for residents and reduce housing pressure in central neighbourhoods. ALSO READ: Lack of affordable housing and threat of mass tenants’ strike puts pressure on Spanish government.
Mayor Almeida has previously acknowledged that Madrid has ‘a serious problem’ but also claims that his administration was ‘the first city hall to take action’.
However, city regulation efforts in the capital have lagged behind the rapid expansion of tourist rentals. According to City Hall data released in mid-February, only 251 Airbnb apartments were successfully converted back into residential use in 2024 – just 1.5% of the total – while more than 2,250 new ones were added.
In December, the Spanish government launched a sanctioning procedure against Airbnb after the company refused to remove thousands of unlicensed tourist apartments from its platform. ALSO READ: Spanish government targets Airbnb for listing ‘apartments without tourist licences’.
Authorities argued that Airbnb’s stance ‘could pose widespread harm or risks to consumers and users’. Additionally, the Ministry of Housing has established a unified registry where all tourist accommodations must be registered to obtain a reference number, which will be mandatory for listing properties on such platforms. This system is expected to be fully operational by this summer. However, the responsibility for sanctioning the owners of these illegal properties falls to local governments.
The crackdown is part of a broader national effort to regulate the rapidly growing vacation rental market in Spain, with the ministry stressing the social consequences of uncontrolled tourist accommodation, including rising housing costs and the displacement of long-term residents from city centres.
The findings come from similar investigations in other high-tourism regions, such as the Balearic Islands and Andalusia. In these areas, the ministry has already delivered actionable reports to regional governments, leading to the removal of illegal listings and strengthened inspections.
In Madrid, the ministry is pushing the city to follow examples set by Barcelona and Ibiza. Barcelona successfully removed thousands of illegal listings in recent years, leading to more available housing for local residents. Ibiza launched a coordinated plan to identify irregular tourist properties, take down unauthorised ads, and increase inspections and fines.
ALSO READ: Spanish government to limit short-term rentals and tourist flats to address housing crisis.
ALSO READ: Barcelona wants to revoke all city’s 10,101 tourist apartment licences by Nov 2028.
Consumo identifica más de 15.200 pisos turísticos ilegales en Madrid https://t.co/a6ZoyVOmWa pic.twitter.com/zmW2Bp1QeR
— Europa Press TV (@europapress_tv) March 24, 2025
Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter from Spain in English.
Please support Spain in English with a donation.
Click here to get your business activity or services listed on our DIRECTORY.
Click here for further details on how to ADVERTISE with us.
