Airbnb crackdown on Spanish islands leads to dozens of listings being deleted

Airbnb is gearing up to purge a number of illegal listings from the Canary Islands, in response to a government crackdown on holiday rentals. After taking similar actions taken in Ibiza and Murcia, the popular holiday rental website also intends to strengthen its verification process for new properties on the islands.

The reported that Airbnb is poised to deleted over 150 illegal holiday let adverts. These listings included an array of unconventional lodgings including tents, yurts, boats, and campervans all of which were illegally being leased out to tourists.

The rental platform has made a fresh pact with the government of the Canary Islands, ensuring all new property listings display a legitimate registration number. A new verification system will be deployed to prevent the addition of any unauthorized accommodation to the platform.

The move was announced jointly by the Canary Islands Tourism Minister, Jessica de Leon, together with Jaime Rodriguez de Santiago, General Manager of Airbnb Marketing Services. As indicated by the minister, the chief aim of the campaign is: "safeguarding local communities from the negative impacts of uncontrolled tourism."

While sites such as booking.com have previously established similar systems, Airbnb's dominance in the marketplace makes this a notably impactful development for the islands. Additionally, Airbnb is set to unveil a tool designed to guide hosts in making sure they're compliant with upcoming EU directives regarding holiday rentals.

The Minister of Tourism has declared a boost in support for housing inspectors, with local police joining the effort to oversee tourist accommodations.

With over 67,000 registered holiday homes, the Canary Islands, including hotspots like Lanzarote, Tenerife, and Fuerteventura, are at the centre of an affordable housing debate, which many locals attribute to the tourism industry's impact.

Last Saturday (April 5), Gran Canaria's capital witnessed a demonstration of more than 200 people protesting against the deepening housing crisis. Similar discontent was mirrored on the Spanish mainland, where massive protests erupted in cities such as Madrid and Barcelona.

In Madrid, an estimated 150,000 demonstrators flooded the streets, some chanting "Get Airbnb out of our neighbourhoods."

The UK is also experiencing calls for tighter regulations on Airbnb. Cornish MPs recently met with Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook to push for tougher laws that would require property owners to seek planning permission before converting their properties into holiday lets.