Getty imagesThe Spanish government has called for the abolition of lists of nearly 66,000 properties on the Airbnb rental platform on the grounds that they break regulations for tourism accommodation.
The repression occurs while demonstrations against over-tourism began before the summer season. The demonstrations in the Canary Islands on Sunday attracted thousands of people.
The Minister of Social Rights, Consumption and the 2030 Agenda, Pablo Bustindidy, said that the rental properties in question had “violated various standards concerning housing for tourism use”.
The announcement follows a decision by the Madrid Court according to which Airbnb must immediately withdraw from the market 4,984 from the properties cited by the ministry.
The properties are in six regions: Madrid, Andalusia, Catalonia, Valence, the Basque Country and the Balearic Islands.
The Bustinduy ministry is now expecting other legal decisions on the other 60,000 properties whose lists deem illegal.
According to the ministry, the properties he identified did not provide a license number, provided an erroneous number or did not specify the legal status of the owner to show if they rented on a professional basis or as a private.
He described the court’s decision as “a clear victory for those who fight to protect the right to housing”.
Bustinduy added that “it may be possible to ensure that no economic interest has priority on housing and that no company, as large or powerful, is greater than the law”.
Housing has become the largest concern of the Spanish in recent months, due to the spiral of rental costs, especially in major cities.
Find out more: Spanish reluctant against record tourism
The cost of an average rental has doubled in the past decade, while wages have failed to follow.
Tourist apartments have been identified by many as a major cause of the problem, depriving local accommodation residents.
Spain is the second most popular tourist destination in the world after France, with 94 million foreign visitors in 2024, an increase of 13% of the previous year.
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said earlier this year “there are too many airbnbs and not enough houses”, and he promised to prevent “uncontrolled” expansion from the use of properties for tourism.
Getty imagesSome local governments have also started to act against Airbnb.
The City Hall of Barcelona said that it would eliminate its 10,000 short -term tourist apartments At the end of 2028.
Others have adopted a different approach. In recent months, Airbnb has concluded agreements with the local authorities of the Canary Islands, Ibiza and Murcia aimed at ensuring that land owners comply with tourist rental rules.
Airbnb responded to the court’s decision and the announcement of Bustinduy by insisting that this would appeal against the decisions related to this case and that no evidence of rules by the hosts had been provided.
He also quoted a decision in 2022 by the Spanish Supreme Court which concluded that the responsibility of the information information resided with the host of each property, and not the company, which was a “neutral intermediary” and not a real estate supplier.
The company has also raised a larger point on the problem of Spanish housing.
“The deep cause of the affordable housing crisis in Spain is a lack of supply to meet demand,” said a spokesperson. “Governments around the world find that Airbnb regulations did not led to housing concerns or return houses on the market – that only harms local families who count on accommodation to afford their homes and the cost increase.”
Last summer, Spain saw a wave of demonstrations against over-tourism in many popular destinations, with its impact on the housing of the greatest grievance.
The number of foreign visitors to Spain quickly approaching 100 million per year, the unrest should continue this summer.
On Sunday, several thousand people went down the streets on the other side of the Canary Islands under the slogan “The Canaries have a limit”.
In Mallorca, a group called Menys Turism, Més Vida (Less tourism, more life) is preparing for similar actions, with an event scheduled on June 15.
