Barcelona demands Airbnb remove illegal holiday rentals within 48 hours

Barcelona City Council sent Airbnb a proposed new agreement on Tuesday, requiring the platform to remove illegal tourist rental listings within 48 hours.

The proposal also calls for the city to be given "unlimited access" to published listings and for improved communication channels with the company, among other measures.

The draft agreement was announced by the city's first deputy mayor, Laia Bonet, who warned Airbnb that the council will not negotiate the terms laid out.

The new proposal is intended to replace the now-expired 2018 deal and aims to ensure the platform exercises "rigorous" and "thorough" control over listings.

Data sharing

Barcelona City Council's proposals would grant "unlimited access" to data on listings published through the platform.

Airbnb would be required to provide the data monthly in compliance with Spanish regulations effective since July  1, unless the information is already available via the Spanish government's centralized online platform for rental registrations.

The agreement calls for systematic sharing of basic data – such as listing URLs, host email and name, tax identification number, property owner name, licenses, address, type of accommodation, and a match between the license and the listed property address.

"We can't have listings by a host named James Bond," said Bonet.

The deal also requires Airbnb to verify host data before allowing a listing to be published, and to provide bank account details for where payments are received.

Hosts would be required to prove property ownership or, in the case of tenants or property managers, present authorization from the registered owner.

Short-term rentals (under 32 days) would need to include a tourist apartment license number, specifically the new unique registry number issued from July.

According to the city council's proposal, listings for rentals of 32 days or more would not be allowed to accept short-term bookings without a valid license, and only accommodations registered in Spain's centralized online platform could be listed.

The agreement also proposes the creation of a monitoring committee composed of four members – two from the council and two from Airbnb – chaired by a council representative with a casting vote.

48 hours

Regarding takedown of illegal listings, the council seeks to reduce the maximum removal time to 48 hours, down from the current 15 days. It also wants to ensure that these listings cannot be republished.

In the case of repeat offenders, the removal would have to be immediate. The proposal includes establishing an online system for rapid deactivation of listings, enabling the council to flag specific listings for removal.

It also aims to improve communication so the council no longer needs to send notices to Ireland, where Airbnb has its European headquarters.

No negotiations

Bonet emphasized that the proposed agreement aims to ensure "data on listings reflects reality" and that information is carefully verified, calling the measures "common-sense demands." Airbnb has 15 days to respond. "We expect a positive answer," she added.

Should Airbnb fail to respond or refuse the measures, the council says it will not negotiate and will take appropriate action "through civil, administrative, or penal channels."

We need to be able to guarantee compliance with housing regulations as access to housing is such a sensitive issue," she stressed.

Meeting

There was "dialogue" but no consensus when Barcelona mayor, Jaume Collboni, and the CEO of Airbnb in Spain met in June, against the backdrop of the housing crisis and plans from the council to remove all tourist apartments from the city by 2028.

Airbnb has urged Barcelona to reconsider its intention to eliminate tourist apartments, and accused Barcelona City Council of applying an "indiscriminate methodology" in its requests to have listings removed.