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[UPDATED] Spain: Spanish authorities have launched an investigation into Airbnb for allegedly failing to remove “thousands” of illegal short-term rental listings from its platform.
The online travel agency [OTA] in question was not initially identified but a source close to the investigation and Airbnb reportedly told AFP that the probe had targeted the home-sharing platform.
A spokesperson for a department in the Spanish Consumer Rights Ministry said that it had ordered the platform to delete thousands of listings deemed to be using “illegal advertising” without the necessary tourism use licence back in the summer.
Social rights minister Pablo Bustinduy said: “The uncontrolled tourist apartment sector often operates illegally, without a licence. We have to ensure no company, however large or powerful it may be, is above the law.”
Furthermore, Airbnb could face a potential fine of up to €100,000, or between four and six times the profit it made on the “illegal” listings, according to a ministry statement. Any fine could still be challenged in the Spanish courts.
In a statement issued to AFP, Airbnb promised to appeal against the investigation, saying that it “always asks hosts to confirm they have the necessary permits and comply with local regulations before advertising themselves on the platform”. It added that the ministry has no authority to enforce rules surrounding tourist accommodation and accused it of using “an indiscriminate method” to compile a list of properties that may not need licences.
Last week, the same Consumer Rights Ministry launched an adjacent investigation into agents who sometimes handle “hundreds” or “thousands” of platform accounts on behalf of property owners.
It comes as part of a wider global and national crackdown into the short-term rental sector and its perceived impact on housing shortages, rental prices and tourist numbers.
Spanish cities including Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Valencia and Malaga have made significant moves to regulate the sector’s activities in 2024.
