Airbnb would share user data with public authorities under new rules – The Irish Times

New rules to more closely monitor Airbnb and other short-term accommodation rental companies have been adopted by the European Commission.

The proposal, if adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council, will in effect mean that companies will have to share data with public authorities on the number of people in different areas using their platforms in order to inform public policies.

The proposals aim to increase transparency in the area of ​​short-term accommodation rental and help ensure their balanced development as part of a sustainable tourism sector.

“While short-term accommodation bookings provide benefits for hosts and tourists, they may create concerns for some local communities struggling, for example, with a lack of affordable housing,” the European Commission said.

The commission said the new rules would improve the collection and sharing of data from hosts and online platforms. This in turn will inform effective and proportionate local policies to address the challenges and seize the opportunities related to the short-term rental sector.

“The proposed new rules will help improve transparency on the identification and activity of short-term accommodation hosts, as well as the rules they must comply with, and will facilitate the registration of hosts,” he said. -he declares.

“They will also tackle the current fragmentation in how online platforms share data and ultimately help prevent illegal registrations. Overall, this will contribute to a more sustainable tourism ecosystem and support its digital transition.

Registration conditions

The proposed new framework will harmonize registration requirements for hosts and their short-term rental properties when introduced by national authorities. Registration systems should be fully online and user-friendly.

A similar set of relevant information about hosts and their properties, namely the “who, what and where”, will be needed. Once registration is complete, hosts will receive a unique registration number.

The framework will also clarify the rules to ensure registration numbers are posted and verified. Online platforms will have to allow hosts to display registration numbers on their platforms.

They will also have to randomly check to see if hosts are signing up and showing the correct numbers. Public authorities will be able to suspend registration numbers and ask platforms to remove non-compliant hosts from the list.

Online platforms will also have to share data on the number of nights rented and customers with public authorities, once a month, in an automated way.

Tourism statistics

Lighter reporting possibilities are provided for small and micro platforms. Public authorities will be able to receive this data via national “single digital entry points”. This is designed to support the development of well-targeted policies.

The framework will allow the reuse of data in aggregate form. The data generated under this proposal will contribute, in aggregate form, to the tourism statistics produced by Eurostat and will feed into the future European data space on tourism.

Member States will be required to monitor the implementation of this transparency framework and to put in place appropriate sanctions in the event of non-compliance with the obligations of the regulations.

The Commission’s proposal will be discussed with a view to its adoption by the European Parliament and the European Council. After its adoption and entry into force, Member States will have two years to put in place the necessary mechanisms for data exchange.

Margrethe Vestager, who is the executive vice-president of the commission for a Europe fit for the digital age, said the sector had “not developed with sufficient transparency”.

“With this proposal, we make it easier for hosts and platforms, big or small, to contribute to greater transparency in the industry.”