THE Spanish government has announced that over 8,000 tourist flats in Malaga province will be removed from online platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez revealed the measure during a rally in Malaga on Sunday, describing housing as the province’s main problem.
He said the flats no longer meet legal requirements and will be taken off the national register from Monday.
In total, more than 53,000 properties across Spain will be affected, with nearly half of the removals in Andalusia. Malaga alone accounts for 8,014, the highest figure of any province.
The government argues that these flats should return to the long-term rental market, although there is no guarantee that owners will make them available in that way.
Housing minister Isabel Rodriguez welcomed the move, saying homes should be for residents, not to turn neighbourhoods into “theme parks”.
The areas most affected within Malaga province include Marbella, where 1,802 flats are to be removed, followed by Malaga city with 1,471, Benalmádena with 926 and Fuengirola with 686. In Sevilla city, outside the province, 2,289 listings are to be withdrawn.
The measure follows a law introduced on 1 July requiring all tourist rentals to hold a registration number. Properties that applied but failed to meet the requirements have now lost their authorisation.
Since January, more than 336,000 applications have been submitted nationwide, but around 20% have been rejected.
Sanchez said the decision reflects a new housing policy aimed at addressing Spain’s rental crisis. “We have detected thousands of irregularities in tourist rentals and will turn 53,000 properties into permanent housing,” he told supporters.
The move has sparked strong criticism from the Andalusian regional government. Tourism chief Arturo Bernal accused Madrid of “demonising” the tourism industry, which he said supports more than half a million jobs.
He argued the regulation was legally questionable and warned it created uncertainty for property owners.
The clash highlights the tension between Spain’s booming tourist rental market and the struggle for affordable housing.
For Malaga, one of the regions most affected by rising rents, the government insists this is a step towards rebalancing supply.
Click here to read more Spain News from The Olive Press.
Funny how olive press have no label for this but if it’s anything like Tommy Robinson who could say similar they would label it ‘far right’
How about ‘far out’?
How about typical left wing editing…
If this was a Tommy Robinson idea you’d have labeled this as right wing agenda
About time, too
No space for disrespectful tourists
Where can i find out about long term rentals in central Málaga? Airbnb misused this marvelous option for a widowed pensioner when I left Marbella. So clean up Málaga and make it livable again.