The High Court of Justice of Madrid (TSJM) has delivered a significant blow to Airbnb, rejecting the company’s request to delay the payment of a nearly €64 million fine. The penalty, originally issued by Spain’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs in December 2025, must now be paid upfront while the legal battle continues.

Authorities calculated the massive fine—which equates to roughly six times the profit made from the illegal practices—based on tens of thousands of platform listings that breached regional tourist accommodation laws. The primary infractions included:

Listing unlicensed tourist properties.

Displaying false or inaccurate property registration numbers.

Failing to provide clear and accurate information about the hosts, which authorities deemed misleading to consumers.

Monday’s ruling only addresses the immediate payment of the fine, not the actual merits of the case. Airbnb still plans to appeal the penalty itself, arguing that the Ministry’s sanctions violate both Spanish and European legal frameworks.

This legal clash highlights a wider governmental push in Spain to strictly regulate short-term tourist rentals amid a severe national housing crisis. Spain is not alone in this effort; other major European markets, including France, Italy, and Portugal, have also recently tightened their housing and rental regulations to protect local housing access.