The whole business of these companies is under significant attack in many places around the world. They are essentially illegal in my hometown, and many other cities now have very major limitations and restrictions.
Only expect this to get more prevalent in places with high tourist volume and shrinking long term rental stock, making the demand ridiculous and painful for many. The truth is — through its accord with the city authorities in the hope of not incurring further fines — Airbnb is now obliged to allow access to all posted lettings to Barcelona city housing department staff so that they can check the legal status of such — a backdoor agreement if you will.
An agreement which would never have been necessary had Airbnb been honest, upfront and transparent from the get go.
Their weakness being arrogance — falsely based on an assumption that we're all stupid — or greedy. When comparing prices make sure to check exactly what's included. AirBnb prices might not include cleaning fees etc. OTOH you should pay attention also on booking. Apartments might do the same thing. Hotels are less likely to have hidden fees but spending an extra minute or two reading the fine print will avoid an unpleasant surprise later.
If a host attempted to charge more, airbnb would have your back. I am not a fan of airbnb but in these kinds of contractual matters they are superb. Too bad they are scofflaws in their dealings or non-dealings with local authorities. But do they show the full price early in the process?
Or only when you're about to click to book? It sounds like the OP is still in the window shopping point and may not have actually gotten too far into the process. Yes, I'm still looking.
So far, for this trip, I've booked apartments in Seville and Madrid , and I'm making my way to Barcelona. I usually tend to read all the fine print very carefully and book ones that I can cancel at least weeks before the trip, if needed.
Cleaning fees. I appreciate all your advice and suggestions! They will be very helpful when I get to Barcelona bookings! Log in to get trip updates and message other travelers. Airbnb vs booking. Watch this Topic. Browse forums All Browse by destination. Barcelona forums. All forums. Level Contributor. Report inappropriate content. Related: What are the most popular tours in Barcelona? See all. Re: Airbnb vs booking. Ask a question. May 14, Anyone else struggling with refunds?
For the first time, city officials will be able to refer to host data that details specifically where apartments are located and who their registered hosts are, something that could previously require substantial investigation.
They will be able to track these hosts ID numbers to verify that their linked apartments do indeed have permission—and it will be far easier to pursue rule-breakers and, if necessary, fine them. Taken together, these measures have global significance for cities managing their own fights against out-of-control vacation rentals. Firstly, they provide a ready-to-go model that makes enforcing local rules not just feasible, but relatively easy. Secondly, they show that concerted pressure from local governments can indeed push Airbnb and other home-sharing sites to take real action.
That clampdown has been a long time coming. Vacation apartments have spread across central neighborhoods, many of them from hosts who list more than one apartment. Meanwhile, the number of affordable long-term rentals available to locals has shrunk. Parts of the old city have become tourist ghettos , where residents that remain are kept awake by badly behaved visitors, and increasingly find their local shops and bars taken over by souvenir emporia and coffee chains.
The city has hit back, partly by halting approval for new hotels , but mainly by requiring all vacation apartment hosts to apply for a license—applications for which are rejected in areas too saturated with tourist accommodations.
Other cities have tried similar measures, but Barcelona stands out in its commitment to enforcement. And since last summer, investigations by the city have already led to 1, unlicensed apartments being de-listed. But the push does seem to have spurred Airbnb toward a cooperative attitude, where the city now has meaningful tools for enforcing its own rules. One option being considered would have all hosts in the city submit their rental permit number to Airbnb before a listing goes live.
If the box were left blank or filled in with a false number instantly detectable by the system , the listing would not appear on the site. In , Berlin introduced a blanket ban on renting entire apartments through Airbnb or other short-term rental sites, though individual rooms were still allowed. The ban had some success— 2, apartments were released back to the long-term rental market in —but due to the scale of the problem, so many apartments remained listed on the site that it seemed hard to believe there was any ban at all.
Berlin ended up revoking the ban in March, replacing it with a license system and heavier maximum fines for rule-breakers. A license system implemented through data integration seems like a great way of preventing saturation in certain areas.