The Spanish government will create a register of seasonal accommodation and require grounds for their temporary letting, thus limiting short-term rentals, Spanish media reported.
The government will check listings on platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com to see if they have licences, Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy said. He told state broadcaster TVE:
If a house does not have a tourism licence, its advertising on online platforms should be illegal and therefore punishable.
Housing and Urban Agenda Minister Isabel Rodriguez told reporters on Wednesday:
The period for which housing can be rented will depend on the justification of the reason. If the housing is rented for the school year, the contract could last nine months. For a cultural or sporting event, it will be a month or however long it lasts.
The Government’s measure is designed to provide assurance that temporary rentals are actually for students, educators, temporary workers, academics and others.
The minister said that a future single register of short-term rentals would reduce fraud in housing law and curb price rises in this area.
Residents of Barcelona, the Canary Islands and Málaga have organised protests in recent weeks against the increase in rental prices. Seasonal hospitality workers have struggled to find accommodation in these tourist centres, with many forced to sleep in caravans or even in their cars.
According to property website Idealista, rents in June were up an average of 13% year-on-year, with rents in tourist cities such as Barcelona and Madrid up 18%.
Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni has announced his intention to phase out short-term rentals in the city by 2028. The Spanish Constitutional Court is considering the legality of such a step.
