Airbnb logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. REUTERS
MADRID, Dec 15 (Reuters) – Spain has fined vacation rental firm Airbnb 64 million euros ($75 million) for advertising unlicensed tourist rental homes, the Consumer Rights Ministry said on Monday.
Spain’s leftist government, along with some city councils and regional authorities, has been cracking down on tourism rentals that use sites such as Airbnb and Booking.com which many in Spain blame for and driving up housing costs by limiting the supply of homes available to residents.
Airbnb, which in July withdrew 65,000 listings that the ministry said violated its rules, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The fine can be appealed in court.
The fine is equivalent to six times the profit Airbnb gained from the illegal listings, the ministry said in a statement, and is the second largest the ministry has imposed for breaching consumer rights, Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy told reporters.
In 2024, Ryanair was fined 108 million euros for charging extra fees on cabin bags.
The European Commission said earlier this year that the fines imposed by Spain on Ryanair and other budget airlines breached regulations.
The ministry said the Airbnb fine was aimed at helping tackle Spain’s housing crisis.
“There are thousands of families living on the edge because of housing, while a few get rich from business models that drive people from their homes,” Bustinduy said in the statement.
Reporting by Emma Pinedo. Additional reporting by Jesús Calero. Editing by Charlie Devereux and Mark Potter
