VRMA Administrator
The European Commission said on Monday that short-term home rental companies will have to share data on the number of people using their platforms under proposed EU rules. The proposal comes as popular tourist destinations such as Paris, Venice, and Barcelona blame rental platforms for aggravating housing shortages by pushing out lower-income residents. But smaller towns and rural areas want to attract more tourists via online rental platforms, which account for a quarter of all tourist accommodation across the European Union. The proposal marks an effort to tackle the patchwork of different national laws across the bloc regulating short-term rentals, while trying to balance the interests of cities and rural areas. Under the proposed rules, Airbnb and its peers will have to share data about the number of guests and rented nights with public authorities, once a month, in an automated way. The authorities will monitor their schemes and can put in place penalties for non-compliance. The proposal is similar to a data sharing agreement which Airbnb struck with EU statistics office Eurostat two years ago allowing public authorities to access quarterly published data on the number of people using its platform and the number of nights booked.
Reuters (11/07/22) Foo Yun Chee
