In a significant regulatory crackdown, Spain’s consumer rights ministry has imposed a substantial €64 million ($75 million) penalty on vacation rental platform Airbnb for advertising unlicensed tourist accommodations. The Monday announcement revealed multiple compliance failures: numerous listings either completely omitted mandatory license numbers required across Spanish regions, provided registration details that didn’t match official records, or contained inaccurate host information.
This enforcement action represents the latest escalation in Spain’s ongoing confrontation with short-term rental corporations including Airbnb and Booking.com. The government’s intensified scrutiny coincides with a severe nationwide housing affordability crisis, particularly acute in urban centers and tourist-favored destinations where residential and visitor accommodations compete for limited space.
Airbnb has announced its intention to contest the penalty through judicial channels. The company emphasized its collaborative efforts with Spanish authorities to implement a new national registration framework for short-term rentals, noting that over 70,000 listings have incorporated registration numbers since January.
The current leftist administration, alongside broad political consensus among Spanish citizens, attributes rising housing costs significantly to short-term rental operations. This perspective was underscored in May when consumer authorities mandated the removal of approximately 65,000 non-compliant listings from Airbnb’s platform.
Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy articulated the government’s position: ‘Thousands of families endure precarious living situations due to this housing crisis, while certain business models generate wealth for few at the expense of displacing residents from their communities.’