Spain has fined Airbnb 64 million euros ($75 million) for promoting unlicensed rental properties across its platform. The consumer rights ministry claimed rentals on the platform didn’t list required license numbers or included incorrect host information.
According to Reuters, the number of short-term rentals across Spain has jumped by 25% over the last two years, suggesting more and more money-hungry residents are renting out vacation properties. In turn, they’re hurting their fellow Spaniards.
“Your AirBnB used to be my home,” said the sign of one protester named Marina at summer protest in Barcelona, Spain. “We cannot live in this city. The rents are super high because of BnBs and also the expats who come and live here for the weather,” Marina said, emphasizing that the goal wasn’t to put an end to all tourism, but to level out the rate.
Earlier this year protests in Barcelona applied pressure on Spain’s tourism industry as locals took to the city’s sunny streets and used water pistols to harass tourists. BBC reported locals in popular cities like Barcelona were being “squeezed out of their own cities,” as tourists continued to arrive in droves.
Tourists aren’t the only problem as many still stay in hotels, hostels, and traditional bed and breakfasts, many Airbnb or Vrbo owners capitalize on the influx of tourism in their cities, oftentimes purchasing multiple properties to rent out.
AP reports that in May, the consumer rights ministry ordered Airbnb to remove 65,000 listings because of rule violations. Also in May, the Spanish government sought approval from parliament to pass a 21% value added tax (VAT) on short-term tourist rentals, a percentage that doubles VAT for hotel rooms.
“There are thousands of families living on the edge because of the housing crisis, while a few enrich themselves with business models that evict people from their homes,” said Spain’s consumer rights minister, Pablo Bustinduy, in a statement.
In 2024, local authorities in Barcelona claimed they planned to phase out 10,000 licensed apartments in the city by 2028 to protect housing for residents, according to AP. In the meantime, Spain hopes to push landlords to switch to long-term rentals, as the country grapples with a deficit of 450,000 homes.
Airbnb claims they plan to challenge the fine in court, and are working with Spanish authorities to comply with a new national registration system for short-term rentals. Airbnb also claimed that over 70,000 listings on the platform had added the required registration number since January 2025.
