THOUSANDS of Brits face having their holidays cancelled to Spain this summer ahead of a huge government crackdown.
The Spanish government has called for more than 65,000 holiday rentals on Airbnb to be removed.
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The crack-down comes amid a huge wave of protests from locals who claim the huge number of rentals has blocked locals from living there.
A court ruling found that the 65,000 holiday rentals failed to follow the terms set out on the platform, and breached tourist reglations.
Pablo Bustinduy, minister for social rights and consumer affairs said they had “violated various norms” when it comes to renting to holidaymakers.
This includes not having an official license number, or no information on the owner’s status about whether they were a private or professional renter.
A Madrid court ruling has said that nearly 5,000 rentals in the city were found to be breaking the rules and so would be withdrawn from being on sale.
Similar rules are likely to be followed in five other regions – Valencia, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands (affecting Majorca, Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera) and the Basque Country.
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez previously warned that there were “too many Airbnbs and not enough homes” for locals.
According to the BBC, rental prices in Spain have doubled in the past decade, making it unaffordable for locals.
Despite this, Airbnb has said it will appeal the latest ruling.
The new rules will be in place from July 1.
Anyone who has an Airbnb booked in the affected regions should check if the booking has the license number.
Anyone concerned should contact the owner of the property to also check.
A clampdown on Airbnbs has already been seen across Spain.
The mayor of Barcelona confirmed he wanted a total ban on holiday rentals in the city by 2028.
What does this mean for your Spanish holiday?
The Sun’s Head of Travel Lisa Minot explains.
THE Spanish government’s latest bid to tackle protests about the lack of affordable housing and over tourism could have a big impact on Brits looking to book a holiday rental this summer.
Spain’s leaders have since asked for a further 60,000 to be struck from the site across the country, despite Airbnb claiming they used “an indiscriminate methodology” to include rentals that do not need a licence to operate.
It comes as a new EU regulation, first introduced in January and coming into full force on July 1, will insist on the registration of any short-term rental.
If you have booked a short term rental via Airbnb or any other booking service like Booking.com this summer, then the first thing you should do is check the rental has been registered correctly. It should be clearly displayed on the listing.
What is also worth noting though, is moves in other parts of the world to ban Airbnb-style rentals have not had the desired effect.
New York City’s 2023 Local Law 18, which restricted stays under 30 days, saw the number of listings plummet by 83per cent.
But while there was a reduction in short term rentals, rents continued to rise in New York and hotel prices rocketed, with some reports indicating a rise at twice the rate of inflation.
When the 10,000 tourists licences expire that year, he confirmed he would not be renewing them.
Malaga is banning any new holiday rentals for the next three years.
And rules in Seville only allow 10 per cent of homes in each neighbourhood to be Airbnbs.
Spain is still one of the most popular holiday destinations for Brits, and welcomes 94million tourists a year (the second most in the world, behind France).
In the mean time, here is a Spanish town that wants more tourists.
Another Spanish town also wants to attract more visitors – after seeing thousands visiting when it was painted bright blue.
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