Alex Trelinski
65,000 AIRBNB listings for unlicensed tourist flats in Spain face being removed after a Madrid court threw out an appeal by the company.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs sent three orders in recent months demanding the online adverts be removed as accommodation broke tourist housing rules.
The Madrid High Court backed the ministry over its first submission which means a ban on over 5,800 ads for properties in Andalucia, Madrid, Catalunya, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands and the Basque Country.
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Two more complaints have yet to be heard by the court, with the Consumer Affairs ministry urging Airbnb to remove the remaining listings.
In a statement, the government department said the ads are illegal because they violate national and regional laws.
It said the listings do not include the license or registration number, which is mandatory in many regions.
The adverts also don’t declare the status of the landlords.
Consumer Affairs said that knowing whether landlords are professionals or individuals ‘is essential to find out what level of consumer protection is available to a client.
The ministry is already taking action against several managers of tourist flats for posing as private individuals to rent out their housing portfolio.
it says true identities are hidden to dodge the legal obligation to have a customer service department to deal with possible claims.
The third issue from Consumer Affairs is that there are advertisements that feature bogus license numbers.
“This practice can mislead or deceive consumers,” it stated.
