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Dan Jørgensen supports new European Commission rules to limit short-term holiday rentals and address housing shortages

The European Commission proposed the Affordable Housing Act to provide local authorities with a legal framework to restrict short-term holiday rentals in tourist hotspots. The legislation aims to address a housing crisis where property prices have risen by approximately 60% over the last decade, while average rents have risen by over 20%. Dan Jørgensen, the European Commissioner for Housing, stated that the new rules will give national and local governments the legal basis to regulate platforms like Airbnb without breaking EU single market rules. The act allows cities to limit the number of days a property can be used for tourism, cap the number of rentals in specific areas, or curb the purchase of property for short-term letting in regions defined as being under "housing stress." An area is considered under stress based on the ratio of property prices to household incomes. The proposed rules do not affect landlords who rent out their primary residences. While short-term rentals represent only 1.2% of the total housing stock in the EU, they can account for up to 20% of housing in certain tourist destinations. The administration announced that the act also encourages authorities to modernize planning and construction to build more homes.

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