Spain fines Airbnb 64 million euros for illegal tourist rental listings

Spain's Ministry of Consumer Affairs announced Monday a 64 million euro fine against Airbnb for allowing unlicensed tourist rental properties to be advertised on its platform, authorities said.

The penalty, equivalent to approximately 407 million Brazilian reals, follows violations identified across 65,122 listings. The ministry said the resolution is final and exhausts administrative remedies after an appeal to the Consumer Ministry was resolved.

The San Francisco-based company failed to prevent property owners without licenses from publishing their homes on the platform, according to authorities. The ministry also found that Airbnb did not prevent users from posting false or incorrect registration numbers.

The fine amounts to six times the illicit profit the company would have obtained from those listings from the time it was notified until the advertisements were removed, officials said.

In May, the ministry had demanded that Airbnb remove more than 65,000 listings deemed illegal. The resolution requires the platform to correct identified violations by eliminating unlawful content and making the imposed fine public.

Consumer Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy said in a statement that the government would defend consumer rights regardless of the size or power of companies engaged in abusive or fraudulent activities.

Short-term rental platforms have been the subject of heated debate in Spain, particularly in major tourist cities. Many residents have accused such platforms of contributing to soaring rental prices amid the country's housing crisis. The ministry's action comes as thousands of families face precarious housing conditions due to the real estate emergency.