Airbnb, Rivals to Share Bookings With Authorities Under Proposed EU Rules

Airbnb and different short-term residence rental firms should share information on the variety of individuals utilizing their platforms beneath proposed EU guidelines, the European Commission stated on Monday, in a light-touch strategy to regulating this sector.

The EU government’s proposal comes as fashionable vacationer locations resembling Paris, Venice and Barcelona blame Airbnb for aggravating housing shortages by pushing out lower-income residents.

But smaller cities and rural areas need to appeal to extra vacationers by way of on-line rental platforms, which account for 1 / 4 of all vacationer lodging throughout the 27-country European Union.

The Commission’s proposal marks an effort to deal with the patchwork of various nationwide legal guidelines throughout the EU regulating Airbnb and its rivals, whereas attempting to steadiness the pursuits of cities and rural areas.

“The new proposed rules will help to improve transparency on the identification and activity of short-term accommodation hosts, and on the rules they have to comply with, and will facilitate the registration of hosts,” the Commission stated in a press release.

“They will also tackle the current fragmentation in how online platforms share data and, ultimately, help prevent illegal listings. Overall, this will contribute to a more sustainable tourism ecosystem and support its digital transition,” it stated.

Reuters solely reported on the Commission’s proposal on November 3.

Under the proposed guidelines, Airbnb and its friends should share information concerning the variety of visitors and rented nights with public authorities, as soon as a month, in an automatic method.

The authorities will monitor their schemes and might put in place penalties for non-compliance.

The proposal will have to be agreed with EU international locations and EU lawmakers earlier than it may turn out to be legislation.

The Commission’s proposal is analogous to a knowledge sharing settlement which Airbnb struck with EU statistics workplace Eurostat two years in the past permitting public authorities to entry quarterly revealed information on the variety of individuals utilizing its platform and the variety of nights booked.

© Thomson Reuters 2022