EU reaches provisional agreement on rules to collect data on short-term rentals

The EU has reached an agreement on draft regulations that aim to bring more transparency to the short-term accommodation rental sector, and would allow authorities to impose penalties on online platform providers as well as those renting properties.

As plans to develop a short-term tourist letting register in the Republic are stalled, hosting platform Airbnb has welcomed the agreement at EU level, and said it supports the development of a State register here.

On Wednesday night the European Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement on new rules that will govern the collection and sharing of data on short-term rentals within the EU.

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The agreed draft regulations provide for a free (or at proportionate cost) online registration procedure for short-term rentals in EU countries that require it. Hosts would receive a registration number that would allow them to rent out their property, and relevant authorities would be able to verify a host’s information.

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The rules would also place responsibility on online platforms to ensure information provided by hosts is “reliable and complete” and to make “reasonable efforts” to conduct random checks on host information.

Competent authorities would be given power to suspend registration numbers, ask platforms to remove illegal listings, and impose penalties on non-compliant platforms or hosts.

The informal agreement will need to be adopted by the European Council and Parliament before it becomes law, after which member states would have 24 months to adapt their registration systems and create the necessary IT infrastructure.

In December 2022 the Government said a short-term tourist letting register was to be established through new national legislation in order to align with forthcoming EU rules and existing requirements. However, plans for an Irish register hit a stumbling block earlier this year as the European Commission deemed the proposals were overly restrictive, and imposed a “standstill period” until December 22nd, 2023, while it considers the domestic draft legislation.

Announcing Wednesday’s EU level agreement, the European Parliament noted that the market for short-term rentals has increased rapidly in recent years, “mainly due to the emergence and expansion of hundreds of online platforms” such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and Tripadvisor.

Derek Nolan, head of public policy for Ireland at Airbnb, welcomed the progress made on EU-wide rules for short-term rentals, and added that the platform supported the introduction of a national register in Ireland in line with EU law. “At the same time we are actively working with the Government and industry stakeholders to establish clear planning rules that protect Ireland’s tourism economy, address housing concerns, and support everyday families who host.”