The Spanish government has directed Airbnb to remove over 65,000 holiday rental listings from its platform due to regulatory violations, reports Breaking News.
According to the Spanish consumer rights ministry, many of the 65,935 listings set for removal lacked required licence numbers or failed to clarify whether the property owner was a private individual or a company.
In some cases, the listed licence numbers did not match official databases, reports Breaking News.
Spain is currently facing a housing affordability crisis, prompting government efforts to crack down on short-term rental services.
In recent months, tens of thousands of citizens across Spain have protested against the escalating cost of housing and rents. Many blame the surge in short-term holiday rentals, particularly in cities like Madrid, Barcelona, and other major tourist destinations, for driving prices up, reports Breaking News.
Barcelona introduced a plan last year to phase out all 10,000 licensed short-term rental apartments in the city by 2028 in a move to preserve housing for permanent residents.
The Spanish government stated that the initial group of listings impacted by the order includes properties throughout the country, notably in Madrid, Andalusia, and Catalonia, where Barcelona is the capital, reports Breaking News.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.
