A new EU regulation on private short-term rentals through platforms such as Airbnb will be adopted on Monday. For example, it provides a registration requirement for hosts. In the future, authorities will receive extensive guest and overnight stay data.
Private short-term rental via online platforms such as Airbnb has been playing an increasingly important role for years. According to the Secretariat of State, they represent approximately a quarter of all offers in the European Union (EU). However, the current approach is not always considered transparent. The EU is therefore planning a unique registration number for each unit, which should be listed on the relevant online platform in the future. Conversely, the authorities receive extensive guest and overnight stay data from the platforms.
“Creates fair competition”
This offers benefits on several levels, according to Austrian State Secretary for Tourism Susanne Kraus-Winkler (ÖVP). “On the one hand, the authorities in Austria now know exactly who is renting and where and can – if necessary – take targeted measures. This creates transparency in the supply and fair competition. On the other hand, a registration requirement is also a prerequisite for the planned implementation of a digital guest list in Austria.” This will both improve the data situation and enable tourism policy decisions at all levels.
Accommodation register planned in Austria
An accommodation register is also planned in Austria; legal issues and technical implementation remain to be clarified. Approval of the EU regulation also came from the Chamber of Commerce: “With a registration obligation, the fight against illegal supply is now made more possible and the basic condition for fair and functioning competition in room rental is created: the same preconditions for the same activities,” says Johann Spreitzhofer, chairman of the Hotel Industry trade association, in a press release.
The new regulation will soon be published in the EU’s Official Journal and enter into force 20 days later. The corresponding accompanying laws in the individual countries may come into force up to two years later.
Source: Krone
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