The plans by the EU Commission to regulate short-term rentals on platforms such as Airbnb are meeting resistance from both the German Tenants’ Association (DMB) and the property owners’ group, Haus & Grund.
According to reports, DMB Federal Director Florian Becker emphasized that the opaque market of short-term rentals, which is closely linked to the leasing of furnished dwellings, urgently requires stronger regulatory oversight. However, he remained cautious about whether the new EU proposals aimed at restricting Airbnb and similar services would provide immediate relief, noting that significant burdens of proof are involved. He stressed the necessity of a nationwide ban on the misuse of residential space, a measure that all municipalities should be able to implement.
Haus & Grund President Kai Warnecke offered a different perspective, arguing that local authorities need to address specific problems on the ground without relying on new European directives or a uniform European definition of when a housing market is strained. He contended that short-term rentals are not the root cause of the European housing crisis. Warnecke warned that blaming them distracts from the actual issues: insufficient new construction, inflated costs, and constant regulatory changes. For intervention to be justified, he insisted that there must be clear evidence proving that short-term rentals significantly burden the regular housing market over extended periods.
The EU Commission’s objective is to make it easier for member state authorities to restrict or outright ban holiday apartment rentals in areas experiencing severe housing shortages. The proposal centers on creating a pan-European definition for stressed housing markets; if certain criteria are met, local municipalities or German federal states could then take action to regulate the short-term rental sector. This regulatory framework is designed to reduce the risk that these local measures will be challenged and overturned by courts due to violations of EU internal market rules.
