By SUMAN NAISHADHAM
MADRID (AP) — Spain ‘s government wanted to send a message last month with its crackdown on Airbnb: that the Spanish economy and its housing market are not a “free for all” that value profits over the rule of law, a minister told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The government ordered Airbnb to remove almost 66,000 holiday rentals from the platform which it said had violated local rules by failing to list license numbers, listing the wrong license number or not specifying the apartment’s owner. Airbnb is appealing the move.
Spain is one of the world’s most visited countries. Last year, the Southern European nation of 49 million received a record 94 million international visitors.
But a housing affordability problem that is particularly acute in cities such as Madrid and Barcelona has led to growing antagonism against short-term holiday rentals. Airbnb is perhaps the best-known and most visible actor.
The Spanish government says the two are related: the rise of Airbnb and other short-term rental companies, and rising rents and housing costs.
“Obviously there is a correlation between these two facts,” Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy told the AP. “It’s not a linear relation, it’s not the only factor affecting it, there are many others, but it is obviously one of the elements that is contributing.”
A recent Bank of Spain report said the country has a shortfall of 450,000 homes. In the…
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