Another 9,000 Airbnbs across Spain forced to be taken down after major holiday crackdown
THOUSANDS more Airbnbs are at risk in Spain amid a major crackdown on holiday rentals.
Earlier this week, the Spanish government confirmed that more than 65,000 holiday rentals had to be removed from the Airbnb website.
This is because they were found to be breaching tourist regulation rules, which includes not having an official license number, or no information on the owner’s status.
And Catalonia Tourism has since listed another 9,000 Airbnb rentals that are illegal, according to local media, with calls for them to be taken down.
This is on top of the 65,000 determined by the Spanish government.
Cities in Catalonia this would affect include Barcelona, Reus and Tarragona.
Miquel Sàmper, Catalan business and labor minister, said more than 10,000 illegal Airbnb listings were removed last year.
The new clampdown on Airbnbs across Spain affects six regions – Madrid, Valencia, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands (affecting Majorca, Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera) and the Basque Country.
A Madrid court ruling said 5,000 rentals in the city would be removed after found to be breaching the guidelines regulations.
The new rules will be introduced from July 1, although Airbnb has said it will appeal the latest ruling.
Brits who have booked an Airbnb this summer in Spain should check their booking before travelling.
To check that the holiday rental is legal, holidaymakers can check the listing for a license number, or ask the owner of the property for it.
The crackdown on Airbnbs in Spain isn’t new, with other regions already introducing their own strict rules.
Barcelona wants a total ban on holiday rentals in the city by 2028, the mayor confirmed.
The city of Seville only allows 10 per cent of homes per neighbourhood to be rented out as Airbnbs.
And Malaga has baned any new holiday rentals being listed for the next three years.
What the new Airbnb rules mean for your Spanish holiday
The Sun’s Head of Travel Lisa Minot explains.
THE Spanish government’s latest bid to tackle protests about the lack of affordable housing and over tourism could have a big impact on Brits looking to book a holiday rental this summer.
In a bid to appease locals who fear they have been priced out of the market by the rise in short-term holiday lets, the latest move could force Airbnb to remove up to 65,000 properties the government claim are violating rules.
Airbnb has said it will appeal the latest ruling, handed down by a court in Madrid, which backed a government bid to remove 5,800 listings.
Spain’s leaders have since asked for a further 60,000 to be struck from the site across the country, despite Airbnb claiming they used “an indiscriminate methodology” to include rentals that do not need a licence to operate.
It comes as a new EU regulation, first introduced in January and coming into full force on July 1, will insist on the registration of any short-term rental.
If you have booked a short term rental via Airbnb or any other booking service like Booking.com this summer, then the first thing you should do is check the rental has been registered correctly. It should be clearly displayed on the listing.
What is also worth noting though, is moves in other parts of the world to ban Airbnb-style rentals have not had the desired effect.
New York City’s 2023 Local Law 18, which restricted stays under 30 days, saw the number of listings plummet by 83per cent.
But while there was a reduction in short term rentals, rents continued to rise in New York and hotel prices rocketed, with some reports indicating a rise at twice the rate of inflation.
Here are some other rules in Spain to be aware of including the “£97 a day” rule.
And we’ve rounded up some other tourist rules including football shirt bans and beach smoking bans.