The Spanish government has announced the removal of approximately 53,000 tourist apartments that do not meet the legal requirements from the Unified Registry of Tourist and Seasonal Rentals, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez insisting that “they will be converted into permanent rental homes for young people and families.”
The decision was announced by Mr. Sánchez during his party’s event on Sunday in Malaga. According to him, thousands of irregularities have been identified in homes intended for tourist rentals, so it was decided to remove 53,876 homes from this register and make them available as long-term rentals for young people and families in the country.
Since the registry began operating in January, more than 336,000 registration applications have been submitted, of which approximately 20% have been rejected because they do not meet the legal criteria.
The Spanish Ministry of Housing has already asked tourist accommodation platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com to remove listings for these properties.
Politics and timing
The announcement comes at a time when housing affordability is dominating headlines across Spain. Mr. Sánchez appears to have seized the opportunity to highlight the government’s investments in affordable housing, while the regional government of Andalusia is moving in the opposite direction with its new housing law, which aims to free up land and increase supply.
It remains to be seen whether this crackdown on illegal tourist rentals will translate into more housing for residents, but for now, the government is keen to show that it is taking action on one of Spain’s most controversial issues.
Airbnb’s position
Airbnb said in a statement that “this is a new chapter for Airbnb in Spain, marked by a proactive commitment to cooperation, quality, and a long-term vision of sustainable growth for the benefit of all.”
According to the company, which has disagreed with the Spanish government on several occasions, approximately 70,000 additional listings now display an official registration number, meaning that the vast majority of accommodations now comply with this requirement.
However, in collaboration with the Spanish Ministry of Housing, the platform found that just under 10% of canceled listings at the national level are still linked to active listings. According to the company, these listings will be deleted immediately.
The company also urged other platforms to follow its example.
Andalusia, the region with the most tourist accommodation withdrawals
Andalusia tops the list of regions with the highest number of tourist accommodations removed from the short-term rental market, with 16,740 accommodations. It is followed by the Canary Islands with 8,698, Catalonia with 7,729, Valencia with 7,499, Galicia with 2,640, the Balearic Islands with 2,373, Madrid with 1,531, and Murcia with 1,402.
In terms of cities, the largest number of withdrawn accommodations is found in Seville (2,289), followed by Marbella (1,802), Barcelona (1,564), Malaga (1,471), Madrid (1,257), and Benalmádena (926).
The Ministry of Housing highlights the case of Madrid, where 83% of applications for registration correspond to temporary rentals, while only 17% have been submitted as tourist rentals.
