Moreover, according to the Generalitat, the city has already begun to take additional preventive measures against illegal housing offers. These measures do not act against the Airbnb platform itself; rather, they are preventative measures against the authors of the illegal offers posted. Airbnb potentially could encounter judicial troubles, but only if the platform refuses to remove the offers that violate the law. In addition, the city plans to hold special meetings with the representatives of Airbnb with the aim of developing the technological means to help prevent the publication of illegal housing offers.
This is not the first time a situation of this kind has arisen. In July of 2017, the platform had to remove 1000 illegal housing rental offers from its website, followed by another 500 rental posts later on. At this point, the authorities of Barcelona created a special institution to work with the major tourist apartment rental platforms. However, Airbnb refused to collaborate with this initiative. Now, both sides need to find a compromise.
Since the municipal body organized to counter the city’s illegal tourist housing violations was introduced, the number of illegal offers has decreased drastically, from 6,000 to 3,000. It is estimated that there are approximately 9,000 licensed offers on the market today.