"The Spanish government has imposed a fine of 64 million ($75 million) on short-term rental giant Airbnb due to rentals not having the relevant license, officials said Monday. This comes as Madrid tries to act against the country's housing affordability problem, with the issue worsening in the centers of Spain's big cities. The country's leftist government, and many locals, see short-term rentals and the tech giants behind them as bearing some of the responsibility for the rise in housing prices,"
"Pablo Bustinduy, Spain's consumer rights minister, said in a statement that while many families are struggling to make ends meet, "a few enrich themselves with business models that evict people from their homes." According to the ministry, the fine equals six times Airbnb's profit from the illegal listings. It is the second largest fine the ministry has ever imposed for breaching consumer rights. Bustinduy's office already acted against Airbnb in May, as it ordered to remove some 65,000 listings due to rule violations."
Spain imposed a €64 million fine on Airbnb for short-term rentals that lacked required regional license numbers or listed incorrect information about hosts. Officials tied unlicensed listings to rising housing prices and eviction pressures in major city centers. The fine was calculated as six times Airbnb's profit from the illegal listings and ranked as the ministry's second-largest consumer-rights penalty. Authorities previously ordered removal of about 65,000 rule-violating listings and Barcelona plans to phase out some 10,000 listings by 2028. Airbnb plans to challenge the fine in court while reporting added license numbers and efforts to comply.
Read at www.dw.com
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