Spain's Supreme Court strikes down national registry for tourist rentals

Spain's Supreme Court ​has struck down a national ​registry for short-term ‌tourist rentals seeking ​to advertise on platforms such as Airbnb that was introduced by the coalition ‌government last July, a ruling seen by Reuters showed on Thursday. * 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.

* 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 Supreme Court's ruling does, however, uphold online platforms' obligation to provide data about their offerings to the authorities.

* ⁠European Union rules allow for the collection of data on short-term ⁠accommodation rental ⁠listings on online platforms, but the court said they do not require the creation of ‌a national registry.

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