Working together: Airbnb and Barcelona City Hall

Airbnb and Barcelona City Hall have said they will together to tackle bad actors in Barcelona while protecting local families who share their homes. The news follows a meeting between the parties yesterday, where Airbnb shared stories from 532 local hosts who rely on sharing their home to boost their income and support their families.

The news is a welcome step forward for home sharers in Barcelona, who have faced continued legal uncertainty in recent years.

Airbnb will fulfil its commitments to City Hall. We have zero tolerance for bad actors, and we have already removed more than 1,300 listings that could affect long-term housing availability in Barcelona. We will continue with this effort and remove illegal commercial operators brought to our attention by City Hall.

The news is a welcome step forward for home sharers in Barcelona, who have faced continued legal uncertainty in recent years.

Local families want Barcelona to keep its side of the agreement also, and for them to protect local families who share their homes. More than two thirds of hosts say they share their primary residence and almost a quarter say that sharing their home help them avoid eviction or foreclosure. Hosts have typically lived in their hometown for 23 years and many say that home sharing is an economic lifeline that helps them afford to stay in Barcelona.

By working together, Airbnb and Barcelona City Hall can help generate new economic and social opportunities for local families, boost tax revenues in the city, and deliver the sustainable solutions that everyone in Barcelona deserves.

We recognise that there is still work to do – Catalonia and Barcelona still have no rules for local families who share their homes – but we know from our collaborations with governments across the world that challenges are best overcome by working together. We want to be good partners to City Hall and are pleased to be working alongside them to support local families.