Whatever happened to Airbnb?

Big business and bureaucracy have finally got the better of me, and I have closed mine, writes Liz Parry

Liz Parry

Malaga

Friday, 31 January 2025, 18:54

When I first listed a room in my house on Airbnb, it was like joining a community of people who enjoyed travelling but weren't looking for (and probably couldn't afford) luxury hotels and anonymous resorts. It was a step up from the free couch-surfing which students and other youngsters used when they wanted to travel the world, but it was still an enjoyable and life-enhancing experience for all concerned.

I enjoyed finding out about guests from all over the world who wanted to explore Malaga, and they enjoyed Spanish breakfast on my terrace while they picked my brain for all the local information I was able to provide. That was the whole philosophy of Airbnb; like-minded people roaming the world and staying in Bed and Breakfast accommodation - B&Bs, as they had always been known.

Airbnb soon became very big business and as such was regulated by the Tourism authorities. The room in my house had to be registered as tourist accommodation, inspected, furnished with leaflets, a first aid kit, a sign indicating that a Complaints Book was available, and an air conditioning unit which was never needed but which I dutifully installed. (It was later deleted from the list of essential amenities in tourist accommodation, but too late for anyone who had immediately complied with all the rules).

I had to produce a First Occupation Licence - by no means all property owners have these, so many Airbnb hosts had to jump through various other hoops, but fortunately I did have mine. I had to go to the police station too, and learn to register all guests on the Webpol site, just like hoteliers do. And of course, declare the income on my tax returns.

I only had paying guests when the room was not occupied by family or friends, so the income was negligible anyway. And they left negligible amounts of rubbish in the bin, but when Malaga City Hall decided that all tourist accommodation had to pay industrial waste removal rates on top of normal rates, I paid that too.

Now, Airbnb has changed so much that it is unrecognisable. Nobody talks about guests in people's spare rooms any more, and my sort of "habitación turística" is never mentioned. It's all about Airbnb apartments in blocks, where guests have no actual contact with the host.

My Airbnb offering could never be accused of affecting the housing market for local residents, and my guests have never given cause for complaint about noise or late night parties, but the industrial surcharge for rubbish collection is expected to go up again, more restrictions are being imposed, and the Webpol registration of guests has changed to an even more complicated demand for information about guests' identities and dates when the "establishment" is going to be closed.

Whatever happened to Airbnb? Big business and bureaucracy have finally got the better of me, and I have closed mine.

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