Spain's Supreme Court has struck down a national registry for short-term tourist rentals seeking to advertise on platforms such as Airbnb, opens new tab that was introduced by the coalition government last July.
Reuters – Spain's government has been seeking ways to curb short-term tourist rentals in the world's second-most visited country after France, where nearly a third of visitors opt to stay in apartments rather than hotels.
The national registry for short-term stays required property owners to register and obtain a number before listing on platforms such as Airbnb. Several regional governments challenged the measure, arguing the central government overstepped its powers.
The Supreme Court agreed, ruling the state lacked authority to impose a national registry on top of similar ones that already existed at the regional level.