Mon May 19 20:20:00 UTC 2025: **Here’s a summary of the text:**
Spain’s Consumer Rights Ministry has ordered Airbnb to remove over 65,000 listings due to violations, including lacking proper licensing and registration details. This action is part of Spain’s effort to combat its housing affordability crisis, which they blame on the proliferation of short-term rentals. Consumer Minister Pablo Bustinduy aims to end “illegality and the general lack of control” in the holiday rental business. Airbnb plans to appeal the decision, arguing the ministry lacks authority and used an indiscriminate methodology. This move follows Barcelona’s plan to eliminate all short-term rental apartments by 2028.
**Here’s the text rewritten as a news article:**
**Spain Orders Airbnb to Block 65,000 Listings Amid Housing Crisis**
**MADRID, SPAIN – May 19, 2025 (CBS/AP)** – The Spanish government is cracking down on short-term rentals, ordering Airbnb to block more than 65,000 listings due to violations of consumer protection rules. The Consumer Rights Ministry announced the move on Monday, citing issues such as missing license numbers and discrepancies in owner information.
“Enough already with protecting those who make a business out of the right to housing,” Consumer Minister Pablo Bustinduy told reporters, emphasizing the government’s commitment to addressing the housing affordability crisis gripping Spain. In recent months, protests have erupted across the country, with residents blaming short-term rental platforms like Airbnb for driving up housing costs, particularly in tourist hotspots like Madrid and Barcelona.
According to official data, around 321,000 homes in Spain had holiday rental licenses as of November 2024, a 15% increase since 2020. However, many more operate without proper authorization.
Airbnb has vowed to appeal the decision. A spokesperson for the company stated that they believe the ministry lacks the authority to regulate short-term rentals and that it used an indiscriminate methodology to include Airbnb rentals that do not need a license to operate.
The government stated that Madrid’s high court had backed the order sent to Airbnb. Bustinduy said that the first round involved the immediate removal of 5,800 listings from the site.
The crackdown comes as Barcelona is already implementing a plan to eliminate all 10,000 licensed short-term rental apartments in the city by 2028, aiming to free up housing for full-time residents.
The initial wave of removals affects properties across Spain, including in Madrid, Andalusia, and Catalonia. The Consumer Rights Ministry said it had notified Airbnb of the noncompliant listings months ago, but that the company had appealed the move in court.
First Piper 