Airbnb Faces New EU Data-Sharing Regulation

The European Commission is set to propose new rules for Airbnb and other short-term home rental companies.

The draft, which is expected to be announced next week, proposed that these firms send data to national authorities about numbers using their services and how many nights they stay, per a Thursday (Nov. 3) Reuters report. The publication cited unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

The proposal is an attempt to synchronize different national laws that regulate Airbnb and similar platforms across the EU.

Lawmakers in some European cities have sought to clamp down on the platform, arguing that it drives up rent for locals and leads to over-tourism. For example, Barcelona has set limits on short-term room rentals and created a register for property owners that want to rent out their homes on the platform.

For its part, Airbnb has introduced limits for people wanting to rent out their homes in some of Europe’s most popular cities. Properties in London can’t be listed for more than 90 days a year, and those in Paris for more than 120. Amsterdam also passed regulation capping short-term rentals to 30 days a year.

The problem the EU is seeking to address, however, is that with different rules in place in different cities, absent of any universal regulation, reporting visitor numbers becomes a challenge.

In June, Airbnb’s leadership met with members of the European Parliament to discuss how EU-wide rules could be used to promote sustainable tourism models that help locals and protect communities.

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