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Spain has ordered Airbnb to artifact much than 65,000 holiday, oregon vacation, listings connected its level for having violated rules, the Consumer Rights Ministry said Monday.
The ministry said that galore of the 65,935 Airbnb listings it had ordered to beryllium withdrawn did not see their licence fig oregon specify whether the proprietor was an idiosyncratic oregon a company. Others listed numbers that didn't lucifer what authorities had, it said.
Spain is grappling with a lodging affordability situation that has spurred authorities enactment against short-term rental companies. In caller months, tens of thousands of Spaniards person taken to the streets protesting rising lodging and rental costs, which galore accidental person been driven up by vacation rentals connected platforms similar Airbnb that person proliferated successful cities similar Madrid and Barcelona and galore different fashionable tourer destinations.
"Enough already with protecting those who marque a concern retired of the close to housing," Consumer Minister Pablo Bustinduy told reporters connected Monday.
He said helium aimed to extremity "illegality" and the wide "lack of control" successful the vacation rental business, Reuters reported.
About 321,000 homes successful Spain had vacation rental licenses arsenic of November past year, which was 15% much than successful 2020, Reuters reported, citing authoritative data. Many others run without having authoritative licenses.
Airbnb said that it would entreaty the decision. Through a spokesperson, the institution said it did not deliberation the ministry was authorized to regularisation connected short-term rentals — and that it had utilized "an indiscriminate methodology" to see Airbnb rentals that bash not request a licence to operate.
Last year, Barcelona announced a program to adjacent down each of the 10,000 apartments licensed successful the metropolis arsenic short-term rentals by 2028 to safeguard the lodging proviso for full-time residents.
The ministry said it had notified Airbnb of the noncompliant listings months ago, but that the institution had appealed the determination successful court.
Spain's authorities said Madrid's precocious tribunal had backed the bid sent to Airbnb. Bustinduy said it progressive the contiguous removal of 5,800 rental listings from the site. Two consequent orders would beryllium issued until the astir 66,000 removals are reached, helium said.
Spain's authorities said the archetypal circular of affected properties were located crossed the country, including successful the capital, Madrid, arsenic good arsenic successful the regions of Andalusia and Catalonia, whose superior is Barcelona.
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