The Spanish Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs, and Agenda 2030 has imposed a substantial, definitive fine of €64,055,311 on the online short-term rental platform Airbnb. The primary reason for this substantial sanction is the platform’s sustained practice of publishing advertisements for tourist accommodations lacking the necessary licenses, a practice deemed to violate various autonomous community regulations across Spain.
The resolution mandates two additional penalties: Airbnb must rectify the identified violations by immediately removing all illicit content, and it is also required to announce the imposed fine publicly.
Details of the Infractions and Fine Calculation
The Ministry’s investigation uncovered several serious infringements related to consumer protection and misleading advertising. Firstly, Airbnb was found to be publishing flats or homes without the required tourist accommodation license, directly contravening the legal obligations set by most regional laws. Secondly, the platform included listings with false license or registration numbers that did not correspond to official government registries. Thirdly, listings lacked “truthful information about the legal nature of the hosts,” which the Ministry specifically classified as a practice of misleading advertising.
The severe penalty of over €64 million is carefully calculated to be equivalent to six times the illegal profit Airbnb obtained from these sanctioned practices. This figure represents the revenue generated by the illicit listings during the period from December 2024, when the Ministry first issued a warning to withdraw the ads, until July 2025, when Airbnb finally complied and removed them.
Furthermore, Airbnb faces a separate, minor fine of €10,000 for “obstruction or refusal to supply data or facilitate information, surveillance, or inspection functions.” This additional penalty was imposed because the platform failed to respond to the Consumer Affairs requirements during the investigation of the case.
Legal Battles and Forced Compliance
The Ministry, under the leadership of Pablo Bustinduy, initially urged the platform in May to eliminate 65,122 listings that failed to meet the necessary requirements for tourist use in their respective regions.
