Spain’s consumer rights ministry said on Monday that it has instructed Airbnb to remove over 65,000 holiday rental listings from its platform, citing violations of current regulations.
It comes amid a broader effort by the Spanish government, along with local and regional authorities, to rein in the surge of tourist rentals facilitated through platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com. Many Spaniards argue that these rentals contribute to excessive tourism, reduce the availability of long-term housing, and drive up rental prices for locals. ALSO READ: Lack of affordable housing and threat of mass tenants’ strike puts pressure on Spanish government.
According to the ministry, the majority of the listings slated for removal either lacked the required licence number or failed to clarify whether the property owner was a private individual or a company.
Airbnb has not yet provided a comment in response to the ministry’s announcement.
Consumer Minister Pablo Bustinduy has stated that the objective is to put an end to the widespread ‘lack of control’ and ‘illegality’ within the short-term rental sector, aiming to ‘favour access to housing and protect consumer rights’. ALSO READ: Consumer affairs ministry identifies over 15,000 illegal tourist flats in Madrid.
In June last year, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni implemented what is considered the strictest measure in the country so far by mandating a complete ban on tourist rentals by the year 2028. ALSO READ: Barcelona wants to revoke all city’s 10,101 tourist apartment licences by Nov 2028.
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🏘️ Consum ordena a Airbnb bloquejar prop de 66.000 anuncis “il·legals” de pisos turístics.
🗣️ @pbustinduy demana a les comunitats i ajuntaments governats pel PP “mecanismes d’inspecció, sanció i tancament” pic.twitter.com/spZ8MdWsm7
— RTVE Notícies (@rtvenoticies) May 19, 2025
ALSO READ: Spanish government targets Airbnb for listing ‘apartments without tourist licences’.
ALSO READ: Spanish government to limit short-term rentals and tourist flats to address housing crisis.
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