Spain issues €68 million fine to Airbnb for advertising unlicensed tourist apartments

The Spanish government has issued a €68 million fine to Airbnb for advertising unlicensed tourist apartments, or for using different license numbers or incorrect information, as announced on Monday morning.

The Spanish Consumer Affairs ministry has found 65,122 ads published in the housing platform that do not comply with Airbnb's policies.

The fine is final as it cannot be appealed. The sanction also forces Airbnb to modify the wrongly published ads, withdraw the unlicensed ones, and publicly announce the imposed fine.

In a statement, the ministry said that ads for unlicensed tourist apartments are illegal in many Spanish regions, as they must display the license number.

The fine totals €64,055,311, which is six times the "illegal" profit made by Airbnb during the time they were notified of the sanction and the ads were withdrawn from the platform.

"There are thousands of families living at their limit due to the housing crisis, while some are becoming richer with businesses that force people out of their homes," Pablo Bustinduy, Spain's Consumer Affairs minister, said in a written statement.

"In Spain, not a single company, regardless of how big and powerful it is, can be above the law," he added.

The Asufin association, focused on financing users, welcomed the decision and said it is "a warning."

"Online platforms have a huge power, and they cannot pretend just to be a mere intermediary that takes away all benefits without facing any responsibility," Patricia Suárez, president of the association, said.

For her, "Airbnb has been punished for not having any control at all over what is published online, and considers tourist apartments as just one more product."

The platform has "to comply with the law."