The fine stems from over 65,000 listings found on the platform that violated Spain's licensing laws. Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights and Consumer Affairs said the penalty is six times the amount Airbnb earned from these unlicensed properties.

The government has ordered Airbnb to remove these listings, which were found to be misleading or lacking valid tourist rental licences. Despite the ruling, Airbnb plans to challenge the fine in court, arguing the government’s actions conflict with Spanish regulations.

Pablo Bustinduy, Spain's Consumer Rights Minister, stated the fine is part of a broader effort to tackle Spain’s housing crisis, where soaring tourism rental prices are pushing locals out of the market.

Speaking to Mail Online, Bustinduy said: “There are thousands of families living on the edge because of housing, while a few get rich from business models that drive people from their homes.”

This sanction is part of a wider crackdown on short-term rental platforms, including Airbnb and Booking.com, as Spain continues to enforce stricter registration requirements for rental properties.

Since its founding in 2008, Airbnb has grown from a small San Francisco startup offering air mattresses in an apartment to a global platform listing millions of homes in over 220 countries.

The company is now valued at tens of billions of dollars and generates billions in annual revenue from service fees.

However, Airbnb’s rapid expansion has also sparked controversy. Critics argue that short-term rentals reduce long-term housing availability, inflate rents, and disrupt local communities in major tourist cities.

Regulators across Europe and North America have increasingly introduced registration systems, licensing requirements, and fines like Spain’s to curb unregulated listings.