Today, the European Parliament’s committee on internal market and consumer protection gave the green light to better regulate short-term rental companies like Airbnb and Booking.com.
Although online platforms have greatly boosted tourism and brought economic development, they have also led to the so-called “touristification” of cities, negatively affecting the housing affordability and liveability. Several European cities have been trying to fight this phenomenon by, for instance, setting a maximum number of days for which an apartment can be rented. However, the poor reliability and lack of information coming from hosts on these online platforms represents an obstacle for the cities.
As the short-term rental market keeps flourishing, we need to achieve a balanced and sustainable tourism sector that ensures the needs and well-being of local communities. The Socialists and Democrats have been fighting for affordable housing for all, underscoring the significance of this report.
This regulation aims at harmonising the registration schemes for hosts, obliging online platforms to enable hosts to display registration numbers and share hosts’ activities with public authorities, thereby improving transparency on short-term rentals.
Brando Benifei, S&D MEP and negotiator on the ‘Data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services’ report, said:
“In 2022 alone, every night over 1.5 million tourists slept in a bed booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia Group or Tripadvisor*. With no doubt, online short-term rental accommodation services have affected our societies in not only the way we visit other places, but also the way we interact with our cities. 'Touristification' is one of the many consequences we are facing due to this phenomenon. This is why we, the Socialists and Democrats, believe that, through this regulation, we can help public authorities to regulate a sector that continues to boom.
“For the S&Ds, it is crystal clear that the responsibility should be shared among the hosts, online platforms, and public authorities. This is why we have pushed to make sure that online platforms not only assess whether the information provided by the host is reliable and complete, but also that they conduct checks on a regular basis.”
Note to the editors:
The ‘Data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services’ report adopted today in the committee will be negotiated between the European Parliament, the Commission, and member states in trilogues. The first trilogue is expected to start in October and a final text is expected to be adopted before the end of the Spanish Presidency.
*Study from Eurostat.
