EU Unveils Rules to Help Cities Crack Down on Airbnbs
The Affordable Housing Package gives cities a legal tool to restrict short-term rentals in stressed markets as prices rise 60% since 2013, officials said.
- The European Commission unveiled the Affordable Housing Package on Wednesday to curb short-term rental growth and increase housing accessibility across the European Union.
- Recent Eurobarometer data shows 50 percent of European city dwellers view housing as an urgent problem, with house prices rising 64.9% between 2015 and 2025 and rents increasing 21.8%.
- Short-Term rentals represent only 1.2% of the European Union's total housing stock, but account for up to 20% in tourism hotspots; activity across major platforms grew 93 percent between 2018 and 2024.
- Local authorities in "areas under housing stress" can now justify restricting short-term rentals, provided measures are "targeted, necessary and proportionate" to address housing pressures.
- The European Union co-legislators must now negotiate the proposal. Airbnb criticized the plan, stating it "will not add a single home to the long term rental market" while creating regulatory uncertainty.
18 Articles
18 Articles
The European Commission proposed on 9 September 2026 a new framework that would allow European cities to restrict short-term tourist rentals, including those through Airbnb and Booking, in areas where they put pressure on the housing market. Article New rules for Airbnb rentals. Some cities want to restrict this type of tourism first appears in Romania TV.
Tourist housing rental platforms, such as Airbnb, could face more restrictions in European Union countries. The Commission wants to harmonise the rules governing this market to help the countries that make up the market to combat the housing crisis in tourist areas. The increase in tourist housing is leading to a widespread increase in rents.
The Community Executive makes it clear that the measures must be "proportioned", adapted on a case-by-case basis and after proving that they are justified.Justice rejects Airbnb's appeal and obliges him to pay the fine of 64 million for his illegal advertisements.
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