The Spanish government imposes a fine of up to $64 \text{ million}$ Euros on “Airbnb” for advertising unauthorized apartments
The Spanish government imposed a fine of $64 \text{ million}$ Euros ($\pounds56 \text{ million}$) on the tourism rental company “Airbnb,” accusing it of displaying advertisements on its websites for residential apartments that were not authorized for the rental process.
The Ministry added that some apartments offered in popular tourist destinations in Spain are completely prohibited from being rented.
The imposition of this non-cancellable fine required “Airbnb” to withdraw the advertisements promoting unauthorized apartments. “Airbnb” was held responsible for communicating the news.
Spain is one of the most visited countries in the world and has a thriving tourism economy, but this has raised concerns about unaffordable housing prices, as increased demand from visitors drives up housing costs, pushing local residents out of the market.
“There are thousands of families living on the edge because of housing, while a few celebrate business practices that force people to vacate their homes,” said Spanish Minister of Consumer Rights Pablo Bustinduy in a statement.
Like many countries, the Spanish government is concerned about how long-term tourist rentals can change the face of neighborhoods, as a result of a temporary population of holiday visitors.
Spain has long fought to combat thousands of “Airbnb” advertisements, banning them and limiting the number of apartments the company can advertise. Last May, Spain witnessed protests against the company before the start of the busy summer season.
The Spanish government added that $65,122$ advertisements on “Airbnb” violate consumer rules, including advertising unlicensed apartments, and apartments whose license numbers did not match those registered in official records.
Minister Bustinduy wrote on the social network “Bluesky,” saying: “We will prove it repeatedly as much as we need: no company, no matter how big or powerful, is above the law. God knows best.”
Globally, several famous tourist cities are imposing tight restrictions on “Airbnb,” including Barcelona, New York, Berlin, Paris, and even San Francisco, the place where “Airbnb” was founded.
The technology company was founded in 2007, but boomed heavily around 2014, when tourists sought cheap housing without the tax costs imposed on hotels.
Users benefited greatly, as it seemed anyone could become a “host” and collect some extra money from renting out their spare room, although many major cities have already imposed restrictions on these types of rentals, because growing complaints related to loud music offers in homes and unavailable hosts became a problem.
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