Justice
Tourist-Heavy Barcelona Is Cracking Down on Airbnb
The city just slapped the company with a €60,000 fine, as officials seek control over the short-term housing market.
You can’t say that Airbnb didn’t see it coming.
Barcelona’s tourism industry has been recognized as out of control for some time, and when Mayor Ada Colau entered office this June, she did so promising to crack down on its excesses. Now, just that is happening. This week the homestay sites Airbnb and HomeAway were slapped with €60,000 ($65,600) fines for advertising apartments that did not possess the permit the city now requires.