The Spanish Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030 has launched sanctions proceedings against a property portal operating nationwide. The Dirección General de Consumo confirmed on Wednesday that proceedings had been opened over possible unfair business practices to the detriment of consumers. The platform concerned was not named. The minister responsible is Pablo Bustinduy.
The case began with a complaint from the consumer organisation CECU. According to the organisation, some listings lacked information required by law or gave misleading information about rents and additional costs. The authority is basing its action on the Spanish version of the law on consumer protection and on new requirements under the recently passed Real Decreto-ley de vivienda. The decree was approved on Tuesday by the Consejo de Ministros and tightens transparency requirements for advertising homes on online portals.
Specifically, the government requires listings to state reference values and, where available, the rent most recently agreed during the previous five years. The ministry announced that it would send a circular to the major platform operators within the next few hours and monitor compliance with the new requirements.
Under current law, proven infringements can be classed as serious administrative offences and fined up to €100,000. Alternatively, penalties can amount to four to six times the improperly obtained benefit. The authority stressed that this was the first time proceedings had been opened directly against a platform. Previous measures had focused mainly on inaccurate information in individual listings posted by property owners.
The Dirección General de Consumo will now examine the information provided by CECU and compare it with its own inquiries. The aim is to establish whether listings on the platform concerned comply with the new and existing information requirements. The company had not initially commented.
The decision signals tighter supervision of digital property markets in Spain. If the authority finds and penalises infringements, this could set a precedent and push the sector to implement the transparency requirements swiftly.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).