Authorities in the Autonomous Region of Madrid have been inspecting home rental websites and business prior to introducing new legislation controlling tourist rentals in the city.
Their spot checks revealed that 92 per cent of web pages offering rental properties in the city fail to comply fully with consumer protection laws.
The checks were carried out in April and May, inspecting 28 companies with local offices in the city, and 26 web sites.
58% of the web sites failed to comply with regulations on the information they provide, in the main failing to publish their tax numbers (CIF), business purpose, and address.
The inspectors found that 92% of homes advertised for rent did not include mandatory information such as floor plans, energy efficiency ratings, landlord details, and rental prices.
Furthermore, eight out of twenty-six of the companies audited had abusive clauses at their websites, in particular inappropriate legal disclaimers and misleading claims with regard to financing.
Inspections of physical offices turned up fewer infractions, with 89 per cent providing sufficient information on pricing, energy certificates, and landlords.
The consumer protection office of Madrid received 50 complaints in the first 5 months of the year, 19% less than the same period last year, in the main concerning deposits not returned (18), breach of contract (8), failure to deliver services promised (6), and incorrect invoices or charges (4).
