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Barcelona to fine Airbnb and HomeAway €600,000 each for offering 'illegal' accommodation


Barcelona to fine Airbnb and HomeAway €600,000 each for offering 'illegal' accommodation
James Badcock, madrid
24 NOVEMBER 2016 • 2:13PM

Barcelona city council will fine holiday rental websites Airbnb and HomeAway €600,000 (£509,000) each for offering unlicensed accommodation, it has announced, as it steps up its campaign against tourism saturation.

Announcing the move on Catalunya Ràdio on Thursday, Left-wing mayor Ada Colau said it was “unacceptable that there are thousands of apartments operating illegally without a permit, not paying taxes and causing a nuisance to neighbours”.

“Tourism is a positive asset for the city, but it was disproportional and impacts directly on the right to housing,” added Ms Colau, who earlier this week announced over a million euros in fines against “speculative” banks for allowing apartments in Barcelona to remain empty.
We are saddened by this decision and will appeal. Barcelona is the only city in the world that has fined us

Airbnb
The reasons given for the maximum possible fine being applied to the two internet rental companies were the large number of unlicensed properties advertised on their websites – 3,812 in the case of Airbnb and 1,744 for HomeAway – as well as the income the two firms gain from their “dominant position” in the market.

Barcelona council also said that the two companies were “repeat offenders” after both were fined €30,000 last December for the same offence.

Under Catalan regional rules, any home rented out to visitors must be included in a tourism registry and be licensed.

In response, Airbnb slammed “outdated rules that protect existing industries and threaten what is an economic lifeline for thousands of citizens”.

“We are saddened by this decision and will appeal. Barcelona is the only city in the world that has fined us,” an Airbnb spokeswoman told The Telegraph, adding that the company has been trying to negotiate an amicable agreement with Barcelona’s city hall.

The company explained that it always reminds hosts to check local rules before listing their property on the website, but that ultimately it was not responsible for whether they followed this advice.

The popularity of city trips to Barcelona has led to some areas of the city becoming dominated by holiday rentals and the raucous tourism this can lead to.

The issue began to draw international attention when Italian male tourists were photographed running naked around one of Barcelona’s once-quiet residential areas in 2014.

Last year saw nine million people visit Barcelona, but Ms Colau’s council team is drawing up plans to curb the amount of accommodation available, with caps on any increase in central areas considered to be already saturated.


Tourism industry representatives have complained about many points of the plan, which is currently under consultation.  

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