Flexible housing, in particular short-term rentals, has become a topic of debate across Europe. As the European Commission points out in its reply to a parliamentary question, this type of renting can have a significant impact on the housing availability and affordabilityespecially in popular tourist areas. However, the Commission also recognises that short term rentals may boosting investment in local real estate markets and supporting renovationespecially of vacant dwellings.
To address these challenges and opportunities, the EU has implemented several measures. First, it seeks to increasing transparency by requiring the registration of hosts and the provision of data on short-term rentals by the platforms, thanks to the Regulation (EU) 2024/1028.
In addition, the Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 obliges online platforms to guarantee the traceability of traders The regulation imposes additional obligations on very large platforms, such as Booking.com, which offer services on their platforms and to design their interfaces so that they can comply with national or EU legal obligations. This regulation imposes additional obligations on very large platforms, such as Booking.com.
In the fiscal field, the Directive (EU) 2021/514 facilitates the exchange of information between platforms and national authorities for taxation purposes, thus seeking to ensure fairer competition in this sector.
Despite these measures, the European Commission has stated that does not plan, at this stage, to present any legislative initiative to regulate or impose limits on properties and overnight stays. for short-term rentals. However, the Commission will continue to explore possible solutions to address the systemic problems related to this type of accommodation.
In this respect, the Commission intends to initiate a policy dialogue with stakeholders to better understand the relationship between short-term rentals and housing availability and affordability, as well as to identify best practices that fit the Directive 2006/123/EC.
Finally, the Commission has set up a Housing Task Forcewhich started its activities on 1 February 2025, with the objective of to support the Member States in solving the problems related to the housing crisis.
Source: Reply to Parliamentary Question E-002341/24 of the European Parliament.
