Spain Orders Airbnb (ABNB) To Remove 65,000 Listings: What's Going On?

Spain has ordered Airbnb to remove more than 65,000 listings that violated housing regulations, the Consumer Rights Ministry said Monday.

The government claims the listings lacked license numbers or failed to identify whether hosts were individuals or businesses. According to the AP, some listings included false or unverifiable information.

What To Know: The move is part of Spain's broader effort to combat its worsening housing affordability crisis. As the AP reported, protests have erupted nationwide in recent months over rising rents, which many blame on the surge in short-term rentals in tourist-heavy cities like Madrid and Barcelona.

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Consumer Minister Pablo Bustinduy told reporters the government would no longer “protect those who make a business out of the right to housing." The AP noted that the initial removal order targets 5,800 listings, with two more waves planned to reach nearly 66,000.

Airbnb said it plans to appeal, arguing the ministry lacks authority over short-term rentals. A spokesperson told the AP that the company used "appropriate methodology" and that not all targeted listings require licenses.

This crackdown follows similar actions by cities such as Barcelona, which plans to phase out short-term rental licenses by 2028.

Price Action: ABNB shares are trading lower by some 2.61% to $133.03 during Tuesday trading.

How To Buy ABNB Stock

By now you're likely curious about how to participate in the market for Airbnb – be it to purchase shares, or even attempt to bet against the company.

Buying shares is typically done through a brokerage account. You can find a list of possible trading platforms here. Many will allow you to buy “fractional shares,” which allows you to own portions of stock without buying an entire share.

In the case of Airbnb, which is trading at $133.03 as of publishing time, $100 would buy you 0.75 shares of stock.

If you're looking to bet against a company, the process is more complex. You'll need access to an options trading platform, or a broker who will allow you to “go short” a share of stock by lending you the shares to sell. The process of shorting a stock can be found at this resource. Otherwise, if your broker allows you to trade options, you can either buy a put option, or sell a call option at a strike price above where shares are currently trading – either way it allows you to profit off of the share price decline.

According to data from Benzinga Pro, ABNB has a 52-week high of $163.93 and a 52-week low of $99.88.