Spanish government says housing market is not a 'free for all' after recent crackdown on Airbnb

MADRID -- MADRID (AP) — Spain 's authorities wanted to nonstop a connection past period with its crackdown connected Airbnb: that the Spanish system and its lodging marketplace are not a “free for all" that worth profits implicit the regularisation of law, a curate told The Associated Press connected Tuesday.

The authorities ordered Airbnb to region astir 66,000 vacation rentals from the level which it said had violated section rules by failing to database licence numbers, listing the incorrect licence fig oregon not specifying the apartment's owner. Airbnb is appealing the move.

Spain is 1 of the world’s astir visited countries. Last year, the Southern European federation of 49 cardinal received a grounds 94 cardinal planetary visitors.

But a lodging affordability occupation that is peculiarly acute successful cities specified arsenic Madrid and Barcelona has led to increasing antagonism against short-term vacation rentals. Airbnb is possibly the best-known and astir disposable actor.

The Spanish authorities says the 2 are related: the emergence of Airbnb and different short-term rental companies, and rising rents and lodging costs.

“Obviously determination is simply a correlation betwixt these 2 facts,” Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy told the AP. “It’s not a linear relation, it’s not the lone origin affecting it, determination are galore others, but it is evidently 1 of the elements that is contributing.”

A caller Bank of Spain study said the state has a shortfall of 450,000 homes. In the tourer blistery spots of the Canary and Balearic Islands, fractional the lodging banal is tourer accommodations oregon properties owned by nonresidents, the study said.

“Tourism is for definite a captious portion of the Spanish economy. It’s a strategical and precise important sector. But arsenic successful each different economical activity, it indispensable beryllium conducted successful a sustainable way," Bustinduy said. “It cannot jeopardize the law rights of the Spanish people. Their close to housing, but besides their close to well-being.”

The state has seen several ample protests that person drawn tens of thousands of radical to request much authorities enactment connected housing. Homemade signs including 1 that work “Get Airbnb retired of our neighborhoods” astatine a caller march successful Madrid constituent to the increasing anger.

“A equilibrium indispensable beryllium recovered betwixt the law rights of the Spanish radical and economical activities successful general," Bustinduy said.

Regional governments successful Spain are besides tackling the issue. Last year, Barcelona announced a program to adjacent down all of the 10,000 apartments licensed successful the metropolis arsenic short-term rentals by 2028 to safeguard the lodging proviso for full-time residents.

Airbnb said that portion its entreaty goes done the courts, nary vacation rentals would beryllium instantly taken down from the site.

In effect to Spain's order, Airbnb has said the level connects spot owners with renters but it doesn't person oversight obligations, adjacent though it requires hosts to amusement that they are compliant with section laws.

Bustinduy said Spain's caller enactment reflects a tendency successful Spain, but besides elsewhere, to clasp tech companies similar Airbnb to account.

“There is simply a conflict going connected astir accountability and astir responsibility,” Bustinduy said. “The integer quality of these extraordinarily almighty multinational corporations indispensable not beryllium an excuse to neglect to comply with democratically established regulations.”

Bustinduy, who belongs to the governing coalition's left-wing Sumar party, dismissed the thought that the Spanish government's enactment toward Airbnb could discourage immoderate tourists from visiting.

“It volition promote longer stays, it volition promote liable tourism and it volition sphere everything that we person successful this fantastic state which is the crushed wherefore truthful galore radical privation to travel here," helium said.

The curate besides took a changeable astatine low-cost airlines. Spain has pushed against allowing specified airlines to complaint passengers for manus baggage. Last year, it fined 5 fund airlines, including RyanAir and easyJet, a full of $179 cardinal for charging for manus luggage.

“The rule down these actions is ever the same: preserving user rights,” Bustinduy said. “Powerful corporations, nary substance however large, person to accommodate their concern models to existing regulations.”

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Joseph Wilson contributed to this study from Barcelona, Spain.