Airbnb has signed a landmark agreement with the Canary Islands regional government to bring order to the often unregulated holiday rental market. The homestay company which has well over 420,000 active listings in Spain, has pledged to remove over 150 illegal listings in the archipelago. 

The platform has committed to delisting properties such as tents, boats, yurts, and vans that were being unlawfully marketed for short-term holiday lets. The agreement mirrors similar pacts signed with authorities in Ibiza and Murcia. It comes amid increasing scrutiny of the short-term rental sector across Europe. 

The agreement was announced by Canary Islands Minister of Tourism, Jéssica de León and Airbnb Marketing Services General Manager, Jaime Rodríguez de Santiago, according to Canarian Weekly. 

Effective immediately, Airbnb will require all new listings in the Canary Islands to include a valid registration number, in line with upcoming EU regulations expected to come into force in Spain this July.

The platform will also introduce a verification tool to ensure that only listings with correctly formatted and registered numbers are accepted. This will effectively block unregistered rentals from appearing on the site.

“This is about protecting the destination, ensuring fair competition for those who operate legally, and safeguarding local communities from the negative impacts of uncontrolled tourism,” said Minister de León, who emphasised that the aim is to restore “coexistence and balance”. 

As part of the agreement, Airbnb will also launch an education campaign to help hosts understand and comply with the new EU regulatory framework. 

At the heart of the campaign will be stricter transparency, registration and compliance obligations on both platforms and property owners. 

The Canary Islands government has already signed similar agreements with platforms including Booking.com, one of the largest online travel agencies, based in Amsterdam.