
Mon May 19 20:20:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary and a rewritten news article based on the provided text:
**Summary:**
The Spanish government has ordered Airbnb to remove over 65,000 holiday rental listings from its platform due to violations of regulations. These violations include missing or invalid license numbers and a failure to properly identify whether the owner is an individual or a company. This action comes amid a housing affordability crisis in Spain, with increasing public protests against short-term rentals that are perceived to be driving up housing costs.
**News Article:**
**Spain Orders Airbnb to Block 65,000 Listings Amid Housing Crisis**
**MADRID** – The Spanish government has ordered Airbnb to block over 65,000 holiday rental listings across the country for violating regulations, the Ministry of Consumer Rights announced Monday. The crackdown targets listings failing to comply with transparency requirements, specifically the absence of valid license numbers and a lack of clarity regarding whether properties are being offered by individuals or companies.
The move comes as Spain grapples with a severe housing affordability crisis. Rising housing and rental costs have fueled public anger, with large-scale protests in recent months targeting short-term rental platforms like Airbnb, which many blame for exacerbating the problem, particularly in popular tourist destinations such as Madrid and Barcelona.
“Many of the 65,935 Airbnb listings did not include their license number or specify whether the owner was an individual or a company. Others listed numbers that didn’t match what authorities had,” the ministry said in a statement.
The order impacts rentals in regions throughout Spain, including Madrid, Andalusia, and Catalonia.
Barcelona, one of the cities hardest hit by the housing crisis, announced last year that it would close down all 10,000 licensed short-term rental apartments by 2028 in an effort to safeguard the housing supply for full-time residents.
Airbnb has not yet issued a statement regarding the Spanish government’s order.