Spain slaps $75 million fine on Airbnb for advertising unlicensed rentals

Spain's government has fined Airbnb 64 million euros ($75 million) for advertising unlicensed tourist rentals, officials said Monday.

The rentals didn't include license numbers a requirement in many regions in Spain or included license numbers that didn't match what authorities had, the consumer rights ministry said. Others listed incorrect information about hosts, it said.

The move is the latest government action in Spain against short-term rental companies such as Airbnb and Booking.com as the country grapples with a housing affordability crisis, particularly in city centers and other places popular both with residents and tourists.

Spain's leftist government and many Spaniards across the political spectrum see short-term rental companies as bearing responsibility for driving up housing costs.

 

In May, the consumer rights ministry ordered Airbnb to take down around 65,000 listings because of rule violations.

There are thousands of families living on the edge because of the housing crisis, while a few enrich themselves with business models that evict people from their homes, Spain's consumer rights minister, Pablo Bustinduy, said in a statement.

When reached, Airbnb didn't comment on the fine announced Monday.