Europe’s short-term rental rules are changing: We need to get them right

Dear European Community,

The EU Short-Term Rental Data Regulation takes effect on 20 May 2026. Airbnb is ready to comply but we're concerned that not all Member States are.

Our commitment is unchanged: to help everyday Europeans share their homes responsibly, while sharing relevant information with policymakers and local authorities.

For years, we've shared data with governments across Europe, and the EU STR Regulation harmonizes and scales what's already working:

• Our City Portal gives more than 450 European local authorities a single place to monitor listings, flag and take down non-compliant ones.
• From Spain, to Italy and France, we have already adapted our product and invested significant resources to support national registration schemes for hosts, and streamline regular data sharing.
• We are getting ready to extend these efforts across Member States when the deadline hits.

But we need all Member States and the European Commission to meet platforms in the middle, by providing:

• Clear timelines: All Member States should provide timelines for their respective implementation of the EU STR Regulation, beyond vague commitments.
• Harmonized technical standards: To avoid platforms having to navigate 27 different systems, Member States should ensure consistent local registration frameworks and APIs for data sharing.
• Proportionality guardrails: We have seen a wide range of restrictions on short-term rentals introduced and maintained by Member States. The Commission should provide clear guidance to prevent bans and other blanket constraints, especially in cities where STRs represent a small fraction of the housing stock.

Airbnb is more than tourist accommodation, it is critical to how cities function and create economic opportunity:

• In 2025, Hosts on Airbnb welcomed more than 114 million guests across the EU, contributing more than €53.2B to the EU's GDP and supporting more than 904,000 jobs.
• STRs provide affordable accommodation options for guests, especially families, supporting inclusive tourism during challenging economic times.
• 8 in 10 Europeans have experienced a need for flexible short term housing, with most turning to STRs as the most convenient and cost-effective solution. Use cases range from students and visiting workers, to people traveling for medical care, those displaced by disasters, or guests during big events.

To date, blanket restrictions on short-term rentals have put at risk these benefits, while failing to solve Europe's housing crisis.

We welcome better data sharing under the EU framework. It's a crucial first step to providing local authorities with the opportunity to create proportionate, targeted rules that address housing challenges where they truly exist.

We hope that future guidance and legislation at EU level, such as the Affordable Housing Act, will encourage balanced regulations that preserve the benefits of short-term rentals for European communities.

Yours sincerely,

George Mavros

Head of Government Affairs for the European Union, Airbnb