Platforms such as Airbnb bring joy to hundreds of thousands of travelers worldwide. They offer a “home-like” tourist accommodation, ranging from small rooms in private homes to high-end dream villas in idyllic locations. However, what brings happiness to some has caused unhappiness to others.
The activities of these platforms have reached an unprecedented scale in most cities and tourist resorts worldwide, leading to significant deregulation of the traditional long-term rental market. This has negatively impacted residents, leading to a shortage of rental supply, increased rents, and difficulties in housing for residents and students. Additionally, tourist overcrowding, noise, nocturnal disturbances, and various degradations have become common in famous cities and seaside resorts, leading to multiple negative consequences for many European countries.
Eurostat stated the European short-term tourist rental market experienced a 28.3% increase in the first quarter of 2024. This data reflects the number of nights booked online through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia, and TripAdvisor platforms. In response to these developments, the European Parliament actively enhances transparency and regulation between tourist rental platforms and local authorities across various EU countries.
Barcelona – the End of Rental Tourist Accommodation in Sight?
Barcelona is facing significant challenges due to the impact of furnished tourist rentals. The city has experienced a sharp increase in rent prices, a surge in mass tourism, and adverse effects on its environment, heritage, and local businesses. To address these issues, the city’s mayor, Jaume Collboni, has announced plans to ban the rental of approximately 10,000 Airbnb accommodations by 2029. The municipality will revoke these properties’ tourist licenses by the end of 2028 to make them available for long-term rentals and sales.
For London and Amsterdam, the Days Are Numbered
The capitals of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have restricted renting tourist accommodations. In London, all accommodations are limited to 90 nights per year within the capital and its immediate suburbs, while there is no limit for rooms in private homes. Interestingly, this measure was implemented by the Airbnb platform itself in 2017 to “make it easier for London hosts to act in the interest of all.”
Similarly, in Amsterdam, the limit on the number of overnight stays was initially set at 60 days but has been lowered to 30 days per year since 2019, again in agreement with the Airbnb platform. Additionally, seasonal accommodations in Amsterdam can only host up to four people at a time, except for families with two children. The city also requires owners to obtain a permit and a registration number to rent their accommodations seasonally.
Italy, from Local Restrictions to National Action Plan
While Italian cities affected by high tourist numbers, such as Rome, Florence, and Milan, have been content to limit Airbnb-type rentals in their historical centers, the Italian government also wants to legislate at the national level to regulate short-term tourist rentals. A draft law was published last year. It is based in particular on two measures:
The two-night minimum stay requirement initially applies to cities with a high tourist density, such as Bari, Bologna, Cagliari, Catania, Florence, Genoa, Messina, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Reggio Calabria, Rome, Turin, and Venice. This requirement will then be extended to other tourist municipalities in Italy.
The requirement is to possess a national identification code instead of a regional one for various short-term accommodation establishments.
