Release Date :- 08/11/22 @ 1pm

Yesterday, the European Commission published a proposal for a regulation on data collection and sharing relating to short-term rental (STR) services. The European Holiday Home Association (EHHA), the united voice for short-term rental accommodation in Europe, welcomes this first major effort which emphasizes the need for proportionate registration at local, regional or national levels as a prerequisite for scalable platform data-sharing at EU level. Too often local rules are fragmented, complex and place an excessive burden on STR accommodation providers. We hope that this proposal can clarify the role of all stakeholders, including local authorities, in ensuring fairer and more responsible STR services across the region. 

Short-term accommodation rentals (STRs) are an increasingly important part of the tourism sector. They represent nearly one quarter of the total EU supply of tourist accommodation, are very popular among travellers (Eurobarometer on STRs: “89% or respondents considered booking STR as a positive experience which they would recommend to others”), and create opportunities for businesses, in particular SMEs, and citizens who use earnings from hosting to cover the increasing cost of living. However, STRs are hindered by a variety of regulatory and often burdensome and outdated patchwork of requirements imposed on STR accommodation providers. These often create barriers to accessing the EU’s, Single Market. The EHHA is convinced that a hyper-fragmented regulatory landscape and low awareness of the STR ecosystem exacerbate legal uncertainty and pose challenges to effective enforcement.

The Non-Executive Chairman of the EHHA, Mr Eduardo Miranda, said:

“Short-term rentals are an essential part of the fast-growing EU tourism economy which creates jobs and opportunities for EU citizens as well as micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.  The EHHA members have throughout the years supported STR data sharing with authorities, in order to facilitate evidence-based policymaking. We believe that a harmonized framework for data collection and reporting, based on fair and proportionate underlying local rules, will help address the current challenges the STRs are facing such as a fragmented regulatory landscape, lack of legal certainty, and ineffective enforcement.  We fully support the Commission’s efforts to create a framework for data collection and sharing which, in turn, would allow policymakers to design informed and proportionate local STR rules – rules which comply with the Services Directive.”

The EHHA looks forward to continuing to actively cooperate with policymakers on this proposal. The proposal provides a great opportunity to increase transparency, improve the understanding of the STR ecosystem, and support fair, proportionate, and evidence-based policies at all levels to the benefit of all stakeholders, i.e. hosts, travelers, industry, and society at large.

Details of  Regulation Proposal of the EU Commission on data sharing and collection relating to short-term accommodation rental services and amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1724