As the European Union moves towards adopting uniform regulations for short-term rentals, a new study examines how data collected in the process could enable local authorities to adopt targeted and proportionate regulatory policies based on up-to-date and granular data. market data.
According to the study of European travel technology, the European association of travel technology companies. This could lead to a move from total bans and quotas to more targeted measures such as nighttime caps and licensing plans for clearly defined geographic areas.
European regulators agreed earlier this year on a common approach collecting and sharing data from short-term accommodation platforms such as Booking.com, Airbnb, Tripadvisor and Vrbo. The regulations aim to reduce bureaucracy for accommodation providers and online platforms while providing authorities with the data needed to regulate the sector, which according to EU estimates now accounts for 25% of total tourist accommodation.
The study, funded by eu travel tech, was led by Christoph Busch, professor of law at the German University of Osnabrück. Busch expressed high hopes for a LinkedIn Post on how better access to data could improve government policies.
“If the STR regulation is successful, it could become a model for data-driven policymaking in other areas of the platform economy,” he wrote.
Monitoring short-term rentals and balancing the needs of travelers and local communities is a global issue. Earlier this month, New York City has started enforcing new rules which require hosts to register with the city and prohibit them from renting an apartment or entire house while requiring them to be present during guests’ stays. Fines for hosts who violate the rules can be up to $5,000, while platforms such as Airbnb face penalties of up to $1,500 for processing payments from unregistered hosts.
