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slammed “outdated rules that protect existing industries and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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