The European Commission has put forward proposed guidelines for short-term rental platforms focused on promoting transparency and mandatory data-sharing – to address considerations associated with the rise of trip leasing on platforms ‘gradually’ does’ sounds like strategy. Airbnb.
While P2P trip rental platforms continue to be a common choice for European residents looking to take a metropolitan vacation, they also face opposition from residents of nearby tourist cities for raising housing prices.
The EU government has been considering learning how to deal with this common but commonly disputed area for some time – opening a session last fall for a short-term rental (STR) initiative, which it said should be “responsible”. “fair and reliable development”. in short-term rentals, as part of a well-balanced tourism ecosystem”.
The upshot is a proposal that focuses on regulating data-sharing by accelerated time-term rental platforms – a space it has previously focused on, again in March 2020 across multiple main platforms (Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia Group). and Tripadvisor). To share some knowledge so that Block’s statistical workplace experience can be published.
Today it said the new proposal targets “ensure their balanced development as part of a sustainable tourism sector” to promote transparency of the sector of p2p leases, with the same objective of serving public authorities.
“The new rules will improve the collection and sharing of data from host and online platforms. This, in turn, will inform effective and proportionate local policies to address the challenges and opportunities related to the short-term rental sector,” the commission said in a statement. Press release,
according to an official Q&A: On offer, the bundle aims to harmonize the registration process for hosts and properties by creating a specific set of information to assist public officials as they set up insurance policies for brief time periods and provision providers. make decisions about.
The knowledge that the P2P rental platform will need to share below offers includes:
- data on the variety of stays and friends;
- registration quantity; And
- Internet tackle (URL) of listings for short-term leases located in the area of the requesting public authority.
“This information will allow the identification of unregistered listings and help enforce the registration obligation, further enhancing transparency,” the commission said.
According to the commission, the proposal is not going to have any impact on the flexibility of public authorities to set their own basic guidelines for short-term housing leases, which suggest that public authorities “just need to adapt their registration system”. will be required”. (Or set one if they don’t currently perform a task.)
In addition to requiring a uniform set of related information on hosts and their properties, registration techniques may also need to be completely online and “user-friendly”. Once completed, a group will receive a fresh registration amount.
“The proposal fully respects the principle of subsidiarity and the competence of public authorities,” it added. Nationwide and native authorities “have the power to design regulations and policies on short-term rentals, for example, to deal with health and safety issues, urban planning, safety and taxation issues” – so long as there are guidelines that They respect the rules enshrined within the propriety and proportionality EU Service Instructions,
It additionally notes that other guidelines – such as the upcoming Digital Services Act – should still apply to P2P leasing platforms.
“The data collected on the basis of this proposal should allow public officials to better assess the situation on the ground and create more targeted and proportionate regulations,” it added.
The commission stated that the various parts of the framework would aim at:
, Clear guidelines to ensure that the registration number is displayed and checked: Requires on-line platforms to allow hosts to show registration numbers on their platforms and random checks to see if hosts have registered or not and to show the appropriate numbers, while public authorities have access to and platforms to omit registration numbers. Will have the ability to ask you to delist. non-compliant host
, Streamlining knowledge sharing between online platforms and public authorities: Online platforms will need to share knowledge about the number of nights rented and friends with public officials, as soon as a month, “in an automated way” – with light reporting “prospects” for small and small micros Platform (the commission is suggesting that the two,500 hosts that do not have the typical month-to-month hit, should probably only share knowledge quarterly, and should not use the need to automate reporting) – and Public authorities in a position to acquire this knowledge through “Single Digital Entry Points” nationwide
, Allow reuse of information, in combination type: The information generated at the bottom of the proposal will, “in aggregate”, feed into the tourism data produced by Eurostat and the upcoming European Knowledge House for Tourism. “This information will support the development of innovative, tourism-related services,” suggests the commission.
, Establish an efficient framework of implementationMember States will be required to oversee the implementation of the transparency framework and impose “relevant penalties” for non-compliance with obligations
Commenting in a press release, Commission EVP Margaret Vestager said:
“The short-term housing rental sector has been fueled by the platform economy but has not developed with enough transparency. With this proposal, we are making it easier for hosts and platforms, big or small, to contribute to greater transparency in this area. These sector-specific regulations will complement the general rules of the Digital Services Act, which establish a set of obligations and accountability requirements for platforms operating in the EU.
The European Parliament and Council may consider the proposal before it is accepted – although the Commission envisages an implementation period of two years after entry and entry into the drive for platforms to adapt their technologies for essential knowledge sharing is of. So the earliest it could very well be and operations is, almost certainly, 2026.
