The European Commission will present a proposal to create common rules that allow Member States and local authorities in the EU to regulate short-term accommodation, such as Airbnb, in areas under housing pressure. The new Affordable Housing Law aims to establish common criteria to determine when an area faces a "housing pressure" situation and under what conditions restrictive measures can be adopted, keeping with Member States and local authorities the decision on whether and how to intervene.
The document does not foresee a general ban on local accommodation, but establishes criteria to evaluate the existence of housing pressure, taking into account factors such as the relationship between house prices and incomes, the evolution of this relationship over the years and indicators related to population and housing supply and demand. Authorities would also have to demonstrate that short-term accommodation contributes to price pressure before adopting measures, with the primary residence being excluded as a safeguard.
The European Commissioner for Housing, Dan Jørgensen, has warned about the impact of the growth of short-term accommodation on housing markets in some cities, defending a European response for cases where this activity worsens prices or reduces supply for residents. Housing is a national, regional and local competence, and the proposal only establishes a common framework to reduce legal uncertainty, since Member States use different criteria to determine when an area is under pressure and when restrictions can be justified.
Lisbon is among the EU cities where the weight of housing costs is highest, in a context of strong pressure on the real estate market. Portugal faces high purchase and rental prices relative to household incomes, with the shortage of supply contributing to worsening access difficulties to housing. The proposal, which will still have to be discussed by Member States and the European Parliament, does not in itself resolve the structural causes of scarcity and should be accompanied by measures to increase housing supply.
