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These are the new EU rules for Booking and Airbnb that you should know
From now on, the platforms will no longer be able to put unclassified accommodation units on their websites.
FILE PHOTO: Airbnb logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Last month, the EU approved a Regulation on short-term housing rentals. It aims at the collection and exchange of data between platforms and authorities, aimed at increasing the protection of customers, city dwellers and transparency in an unregulated sector that has developed strongly especially during the pandemic years.
In the summers of 2020 and 2021, short-term rentals, mostly made on Booking and Airbnb, were above the level of 2018, and in the summer of 2022, the increase was 138% compared to the same period in 2021, European data shows.
Illegal listings should disappear
According to the new regulation, illegal listings will no longer be found on online platforms, the authorities will be able to check them and no player in the market will be able to pass responsibility from one to the other. EU countries will adopt the regulation, it will probably take time, but the direction is clear.
EU officials point out that this regulation aims not only to reduce the number of illegal listings, but also to increase trust.
In addition to the fact that the rental booking platforms will have to make the registration numbers of the accommodation technically visible, the authorities will also have to fulfil their responsibility and fund a single digital portal to collect all the information.
Every rental will have an unique ID
Those who want to rent accommodation on online platforms will have to meet a series of requirements, after which they will receive a unique identification number.
On the other hand, the authorities will be able to ask online platforms to remove listed apartments that do not have a registration number.
This regulation will bring clarity to all those who rent apartments. Before, the platforms said that it was not their job to check whether the apartments were classified or not, and that it was the responsibility of the authorities, who also said that they did not have people for checks.
