Airbnb asks Brussels for guardrails on the Affordable Housing Act

If you manage short-term rental supply anywhere in the EU, the fight now is not over whether cities can restrict listings — the Commission has settled that — but over what evidence they have to produce first. Airbnb has published its formal position, and it is a request for process.

The company's response to the European Commission's draft Affordable Housing Act, published on 9 September, accepts the diagnosis and disputes the remedy. "The European Affordable Housing Plan identified the cause of the housing crisis correctly: Europe does not have enough homes, and building them costs too much," Airbnb wrote. "As drafted, however, the Affordable Housing Act will not add homes, while creating increased regulatory uncertainty for hosts across European cities."

Where Airbnb says the draft falls short

Airbnb credits the Act with laying out proportionate, evidence-based principles and protecting the right to rent a primary residence. Its objection is that the text does not distinguish between large commercial operators and citizens who occasionally rent a second home, and does not make clear how its principles apply to short-term rental restrictions already in force in areas designated as housing-stressed.

"The Act sets out the right principles," said George Mavros, Head of Government Affairs for the European Union at Airbnb. "It now needs to include real guardrails that turn them into certainty for the hosts, guests and small businesses who depend on this activity."

The three asks

Airbnb wants co-legislators to attach a review procedure to the proportionality language:

• Same standard for existing rules. Restrictions already in force should be reviewed against the Act's standard, including those justified on grounds other than housing protection.
• Notification before adoption. Authorities should notify new restrictions to the Commission with the supporting evidence and impact assessment — the standard procedure for local measures affecting the provision of services.
• Review against the Act's principles. Each measure assessed for necessity and proportionality using data collected under the EU Short-Term Rental Regulation.

That third point matters operationally: it would make the STR Regulation's data the evidence base for restriction decisions, which is a very different regime from the one cities run today.

The numbers Airbnb is arguing with

The company puts short-term rental economic impact across the EU at more than €149 billion, €40 billion in tax revenue and over 2 million jobs. It says STRs account for 1.2% of EU dwellings while roughly one in five sits vacant, and points to house prices up 60.5% and rents up 28.8% since 2010 as evidence of a construction shortage rather than a distribution problem.

Airbnb also argues the supply serves residents, not only tourists: more than eight in ten Europeans have needed temporary housing at some point, and during last summer's wildfires in France hosts provided 1,300 free nights to displaced families.

These are Airbnb's figures, in a live legislative fight, and the industry groups on the other side dispute the framing. The Act still needs approval from member states and the Parliament, which is where the notification procedure Airbnb is asking for would have to be inserted.