Amsterdam brought in new rules for Airbnb hosts in 2022 and the results are revealing. Short-term rental booking platform Airbnb has hit back at Spanish restrictions on rental properties, stressing that they will have severe repercussions for both income and jobs. Citing research undertaken by Oxford Economics in late 2024, warns of 400,000 jobs being put at risk by the regulations, alongside almost €30 billion of income.
The Spanish government on short-term rentals on 2 January. Any property owner wishing to rent out their house is now required to be registered in a national database and obtain a permit before they can list their property on booking platforms. Accommodation providers are also required to collect from their guests, including bank details and personal identifiers.
Spain has also proposed to raise VAT on short-term rentals to match the 10 per cent paid by hotels. Although it went live in January, the regulation won’t be fully enforced until 1 July. After that date, property owners risk fines of up to €600,000 for non-compliance.
For the Spanish government, companies like Airbnb are fueling a housing crisis that can only be stopped through regulation. “Our obligation is to prioritise use of homes over tourist use,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said at a press conference last week. “There are too many Airbnbs.
What’s lacking is housing.” Sanchez claims that non-residents from outside the EU bought approximately 27,000 houses and apartments in Spai.