The EU has identified short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb, TripAdvisor, and Expedia as a major driver of Europe’s affordable housing shortage, but has stopped short of spelling out how far it intends to regulate them, according to a draft of its forthcoming housing plan seen by Euractiv.
While light on detail, the draft said the Commission will propose new legislation on short-term rentals next year, aimed at limiting their negative effects while “preserving their benefits.”
The initiative would form part of a broader housing package that pairs closer scrutiny of short-term rentals with a review of EU state-aid rules to steer public funding towards housing projects, alongside new simplification measures for planning, permitting, construction and renovation.
Housing shortages have emerged as a top political priority for the Commission, which has appointed Dan Jørgensen as its first commissioner dedicated to housing a year ago. The European Parliament has also established a special committee on the housing crisis.
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I don’t know about where you live, but where I’m from, we’re very far away from there not being enough people to fill all the houses.