Spain orders Airbnb to block 65,000 holiday rentals over rule violations

Spain’s government has instructed Airbnb to remove over 65,000 holiday listings from its platform due to rule violations, according to a statement made on Monday in Madrid. The consumer rights ministry revealed that a significant portion of the listings failed to display their license number or specify whether the owner was an individual or a company. In addition, some listings provided incorrect contact information. This move by the government comes amidst a housing affordability crisis in Spain, with rising protests against escalating housing and rental prices, largely attributed to the surge of short-term rentals on platforms like Airbnb in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, and other tourist hotspots. Barcelona has previously announced plans to phase out all 10,000 licensed short-term rental apartments by 2028 to protect the housing market for residents. The affected Airbnb rentals are spread across various regions in Spain, including Madrid, Andalusia, and Catalonia, where Barcelona is located. Airbnb did not respond immediately to requests for comment.