The Spanish government claims to be forcing digital platforms to remove more than 53,000 holiday rental listings that fail to meet legal requirements, with Pedro Sánchez insisting the homes will “become permanent rentals for young people and families.”
Crackdown on unregistered tourist flats
Speaking in Málaga, Sánchez announced that the Ministry of Housing has notified platforms to withdraw 53,876 tourist properties that failed to obtain the new mandatory registration number. Since the registry went live in January, more than 336,000 applications have been submitted, of which around 20% have been rejected for not meeting legal criteria.
Vamos a exigir a las plataformas la eliminación de 53.000 pisos turísticos por no cumplir con la normativa. Para que pasen a ser alquileres constantes para la gente joven y familias de este país.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) September 14, 2025
Gobernar para la gente. Eso es lo que hacemos desde el @PSOE. pic.twitter.com/o0TgX85aLo
The government argues these removals will help shift properties from the tourist market into the residential rental pool. Critics, however, doubt whether this will actually happen in practice.
Where the impact is greatest
Andalusia tops the list with 16,740 properties struck off, followed by the Canary Islands (8,698), Catalonia (7,729), and the Valencian Community (7,499). Madrid is the outlier, where 83% of registrations have been for temporary rentals rather than tourist lets, with more than a third of tourist applications revoked.
At the municipal level, hotspots include Sevilla (2,289), Marbella (1,802), Barcelona (1,564), Málaga (1,471) and Madrid (1,257), underscoring the concentration of tourist rentals in urban and coastal markets already under housing pressure.
Platforms under pressure
Airbnb said it will comply with the order, stressing that fewer than 10% of revoked registrations affected its listings, while noting that 70,000 more ads now display registration numbers. The company also urged other platforms to follow suit.
Politics and timing
The announcement comes as housing affordability dominates headlines in Málaga and across Spain. Sánchez used the occasion to highlight government investment in affordable housing, while Andalusia’s regional government pushes in the opposite direction with its new housing law aimed at freeing up land and boosting supply.
Whether this purge of irregular tourist rentals translates into more homes for residents remains to be seen, but for now, the government is keen to signal action on one of Spain’s most contentious housing issues.
