Spain’s crackdown on Airbnb rentals is set to “significantly” impact British holidaymakers, tourism experts have said, warning that tourists may have their properties shut down during their stay if they do not “book smart”.
The Spanish government on Monday ordered homestay app Airbnb to remove nearly 66,000 holiday listings from its platform for breaching regulations amid a nationwide crackdown on tourist rentals.
Spain’s consumer rights ministry said that many of the 65,935 listings on Airbnb were in violation of rules as they did not include a licence number, specify whether the owner was an individual or a company, or match official records.
Airbnb said it would continue to appeal all decisions linked to the case and would keep listings up on the platform until the appeal made its way through the courts.
The move is part of a broader government effort to alleviate pressure on Spain’s housing crisis, but will likely cause trouble for holidaymakers.
Spain has long been grappling with a housing affordability crisis that has spurred government action against short-term rental companies.
In recent months tens of thousands of Spaniards have taken to the streets in protest against rising housing and rental costs, which many say have been driven up by holiday rentals on platforms like Airbnb.
Campaigners say the housing crisis has been felt worst in major cities like Madrid and Barcelona, and other popular tourist destinations, pinning the blame on tourist rentals.
“Enough already with protecting those who make a business out of the right to housing,” consumer minister Pablo Bustinduy, part of Spain’s socialist government, told reporters on Monday.
Demonstrators protest against mass tourism i downtown Barcelona (Photo: Emilio Morenatti/AP)Bustinduy said his goal was to end the general “lack of control” and “illegality” in the holiday rental business.
Barcelona last year announced a plan to close down all of the 10,000 apartments licensed in the city as short-term rentals by 2028 to safeguard the housing supply for full-time residents.
Housing has become a politically sensitive issue in Spain as construction has failed to keep pace with demand. Official figures from November last year showed there were around 321,000 homes with holiday rental licences in Spain, up by 15 per cent in 2020.
‘Fewer cheap holidays’
Christian Petzold, the marketing director at BCN Travel, a tourism agency in Barcelona, told The i Paper: “Spain’s recent crackdown on Airbnb-style rentals in cities like Barcelona is bound to affect British holidaymakers significantly.”
He explained that Britons have “relied heavily” on such rentals in recent years, over traditional hotels or other holiday accommodation.
“For travellers, there will be fewer cheap options, and the ones that remain will be more costly,” Mr Petzold added.
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He also warned that tourists who unknowingly pay for “illegitimate” holiday rentals may find that their accommodation is “shut down prior to or during their stay”.
The tourism expert said this had frequently happened to clients travelling in Barcelona, after the Catalan city’s council ruled in July last year that it would phase out and make illegal all 10,000 of its short-term rental licenses by 2028.
Mr Petzold continued: “For Brits who have been used to engaging in impromptu city breaks or family trips on a tight budget, more planning will be essential.”
“My recommendation is to book through legal, verified accommodations such as registered hotels, aparthotels, or curated accommodation providers that comply with local laws.”
Jiayi Wang, a travel expert who works with tourism boards across the world, including Visit Costa Rica and Visit England, said Spain’s move to “tighten regulations” would result in “a clear shift away from the ‘Airbnb-first’ mindset”.
“People are starting to realise that they can’t just book any apartment and expect it to be available or legal by the time they arrive,” she said.
“Some are already running into last-minute cancellations or scrambling to find alternative accommodation because the listing they booked got pulled from the platform.”
Demonstrators protest against mass tourism in Barcelona, Spain (Photo: Bruna Casas/Reuters)Spain is not alone in its crackdown on tourism. Other European countries, popular with tourists and grappling with their own housing crisis, such as Croatia and Italy, have also acted to slow down the holiday rental business.
“There’s also a broader trend that’s emerging across southern Europe,” Ms Wang said.
“Other countries with similar issues, like Portugal, Italy, and Greece, are watching this closely. So this might be the beginning of a wider movement.”
Airbnb properties still available to rent
An Airbnb spokesperson said it would “continue to appeal against all decisions linked to this case” and would not remove any listings at this time, despite the government demand.
The San Francisco company believes Spain’s consumer ministry does not have the authority to make rulings over short-term rentals and said it failed to provide an evidence-based list of non-compliant accommodations. Some of the incriminated listings are non-touristic seasonal ones, the spokesperson said.
“No evidence of rule-breaking by hosts has been put forward and the decision goes against EU and Spanish law, and a previous ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court,” they added.
“The root cause of the affordable housing crisis in Spain is a lack of supply to meet demand. The solution is to build more homes – anything else is a distraction.
“Governments across the world are seeing that regulating Airbnb does not alleviate housing concerns or return homes to the market – it only hurts local families who rely on hosting to afford their homes and rising costs.”
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