Spain orders Airbnb to block nearly 66,000 holiday rental listings over rule violations

Spain’s government says it has ordered Airbnb to block more than 65,000 holiday listings on its platform for having violated rules. The consumer rights ministry said on Monday that many of the rentals in question did not include their license number or specify whether the owner was an individual or a company. Spain is grappling with a housing affordability crisis that has spurred government action against short-term rental companies. The government said the first round of rentals affected by the order are located across the country, including in the capital of Madrid, in Andalusia and also in Catalonia, whose capital is Barcelona.