The Spanish government has fined the short-term property rental giant Airbnb €64m (£56m) for advertising and renting out unlicensed apartments.

It was also confirmed that some of the properties advertised within Spain were prohibited from being rented.

The fine cannot be appealed and means Airbnb has to pay the penalty, as well as removing all unlicensed properties from its rental portfolio.

The short-term rental market has grown exponentially in the last few years, leading to demonstrations in tourist destinations across Europe against the continuing loss of long-term rental accommodation for the local population.

“There are thousands of families who are living on the edge due to the lack of housing, while a few get rich with business models that expel people from their homes,” confirmed Pablo Bustinduy, Spain’s consumer rights minister.

It has not been reported whether Airbnb will try to recoup rental income from the owners of the unlicensed properties to contribute towards the penalty.