Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda has imposed a €64,055,311 fine on the online tourist rental platform Airbnb for advertising unlicensed holiday accommodations, among other violations of consumer protection regulations. The decision, issued under the authority of Minister Pablo Bustinduy, is final and concludes the administrative process after the company’s appeal was dismissed.

In addition to the financial penalty, the ruling includes two ancillary sanctions requiring the platform to remove unlawful content and to publicly disclose the fine imposed. The identified violations affect a total of 65,122 listings published on Airbnb.

The Ministry found that Airbnb engaged in unfair commercial practices by advertising tourist accommodations without a valid registration number, by using license numbers that do not correspond to official regional registers, and by failing to provide accurate information regarding the legal status of hosts. These actions constitute a serious infringement of Spanish consumer protection law and account for the bulk of the fine, which amounts to six times the illicit profit obtained by the platform while the listings remained online. The Madrid High Court of Justice had previously upheld the Ministry’s orders to remove the unlawful advertisements.

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Consumer Affairs Ministry Fines Airbnb €64 Million for Advertising Unlicensed Tourist Rentals

Additional infringements cited in the resolution include failures to comply with distance contract information requirements, obstruction of inspection and oversight duties by not responding to official requests, and non-compliance with provisional measures imposed to prevent harm to consumers. These breaches resulted in further penalties classified as both minor and serious.

At the same time, the Ministry is pursuing other sanctioning proceedings against real estate agencies for alleged abusive practices in the rental market. According to Minister Bustinduy, these actions form part of the Government’s broader effort to address Spain’s housing crisis.

The Minister stated that “thousands of families are living on the edge due to housing costs, while certain business models generate profits by pushing people out of their homes,” stressing that no company in Spain, regardless of its size or influence, is above the law.