New EU guidelines purpose to carry extra transparency to short-term leases within the EU and promote a extra sustainable tourism.
Brief time period leases: key stats and points
The short-term rental market has quickly expanded in recent times. Though the number of lodging options, akin to personal properties rented out as visitor lodging, can have a constructive impact on tourism, its exponential development has prompted points.
Native communities have been negatively affected by the shortage of accessible housing in widespread vacationer locations, the elevated rental costs and the general impression on the liveability of some areas.
A complete of 547 million nights have been booked within the EU in 2022 by way of 4 massive on-line platforms (Airbnb, Reserving, Expedia Group and Tripadvisor), which implies greater than 1.5 million visitors per night time stayed in short-term lodging.
The best variety of visitors in 2022 have been recorded in Paris (13.5 million visitors) adopted by Barcelona and Lisbon with greater than 8.5 million visitors every and Rome with greater than eight million visitors.
In response to the rising variety of short-term leases, a number of cities and areas have launched guidelines to restrict entry to short-term rental companies.
547 million nights
booked within the EU in 2022 by way of 4 on-line platforms
Challenges associated to short-term leases
The rise in short-term lodging leases has created a variety of challenges:
- Want for extra transparency: the shortage of transparency in short-term rental operations makes it tough for authorities to observe and regulate these companies successfully
- Regulatory challenges: public authorities face challenges in making certain that short-term leases adjust to native laws, taxation, and security requirements as a result of inadequate info
- City improvement considerations: some native authorities discover it tough to deal with the fast development of short-term leases which can remodel residential areas and places further burden on public companies akin to waste assortment
The EU response to rising short-term leases
In November 2022 the European Fee put ahead a proposal for offering extra transparency within the subject of short-term leases and supporting public authorities to advertise sustainable tourism.
Parliament and Council reached a deal on the proposal in November 2023. The measures embody:
- Registration of hosts: the deal units a easy registration course of on-line for short-term rental properties in EU international locations the place it’s required. After finishing this course of, hosts will obtain a registration quantity enabling them to lease out their property. It will facilitate the identification of hosts and the verification of their particulars by the authorities.
- Extra safety for customers: on-line platforms might be required to confirm the accuracy of property particulars and they are going to be equally anticipated to carry out random checks. Authorities will be capable of halt registrations, take away non-compliant listings, or impose fines on platforms if needed.
- Knowledge sharing: to be able to obtain information from platforms about host exercise, EU international locations will arrange a single digital entry level to help native authorities in understanding rental actions and enhancing tourism. Nonetheless, for micro and small platforms with a mean of as much as 4,250 listings an easier system for information sharing might be put in place.
Kim van Sparrentak (Greens/EFA, the Netherlands), the MEP accountable for steering the legislative file via Parliament, stated: “Beforehand, rental platforms didn’t share information, making it laborious to implement metropolis guidelines. This new legislation adjustments that, giving cities extra management.”
Subsequent steps
Earlier than its entry into pressure, the provisional settlement must be adopted by Council and Parliament. After that EU international locations can have 24 months to implement it.
Parliament’s inside market committee will vote on the provisional settlement in January 2024.
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