Spain strikes back: 65,000 Airbnb ads have to go!

Spain strikes back: 65,000 Airbnb ads have to go!

In Spain, more than 65,000 vacation rental ads on the Airbnb platform were ordered to be deleted. This regulatory measure is part of the Spanish authorities' efforts to curb holiday rentals. The background to this is the tense housing market, in which demand exceeds supply in metropolitan areas and tourist hotspots, which leads to rising rents. Spanish authorities have sent three instructions to Airbnb's European headquarters in Ireland in recent months to enforce these deletions. Nationwide demonstrations for affordable rents also recently caused a stir in April.

The Ministry of Consumer Protection explains that the advertisements in question violate legal requirements. An important criterion is that holiday homes must be registered in almost all Spanish regions before they can be rented out. This mainly affects entire apartments and not rooms in the landlord's apartment. If license numbers are missing in the advertisements or the information about the landlords is unclear, this is viewed as a lack of consumer protection. In some cases, the license numbers of the advertisements do not correspond to those issued by the relevant authorities.

Airbnb responds to the instruction

Airbnb has already responded to this instruction and sought interim relief from deleting 5,800 ads. However, this application was rejected by the Higher Administrative Court in Madrid. The Ministry of Consumer Protection expects Airbnb to follow the authorities' instructions. Whether and how the situation will develop further remains to be seen, as Airbnb did not initially respond to a request.

The number of active Airbnb apartments in Spain is estimated at over 400,000. This shows how popular the platform is for travelers looking for accommodation. The Airbnb site offers a variety of vacation rentals in Spain, many of which are very highly rated. The well-rated properties include:

• Wohnung in Alicante: 4,81 von 5 (150 Bewertungen) – Blick auf das Mittelmeer, renoviert, mit Zugang zum Strand.
• Wohnung in Colònia de Sant Jordi: 4,9 von 5 (39 Bewertungen) – In der Nähe der besten Strände Mallorcas, zentral gelegen.
• Privatunterkunft in Fornalutx: 4,88 von 5 (216 Bewertungen) – Großes Wohnzimmer, Dachterrasse mit Bergblick.
• Eigentumswohnung in Almuñécar: 5 von 5 (27 Bewertungen) – Luxusimmobilie mit großartiger Lage.
• Villa in Nerja: 4,87 von 5 (23 Bewertungen) – Villa Pauline, mit hervorragender Bewertung.

This variety of accommodation ensures that travelers in Spain can find something to suit every taste and budget. Despite the regulatory challenges, the platform remains an important option for tourists looking to explore the many facets of Spain. Further information about the offers can be found directly on the Airbnb website Airbnb Spain to find.