EU proposes curbs on short-term rentals and second homes in housing-stressed areas

2026-09-08 11:34 UTC – 2026-09-10 09:19 UTC

Neutral summary

The European Commission on Wednesday unveiled an Affordable Housing Act giving EU cities a legal basis to restrict short-term holiday lets such as Airbnb and to ban purchases of second homes in areas under housing pressure. Housing Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said “short-term rentals are a part of the problem in many cities,” while competition chief Teresa Ribera stressed that restrictive measures must be “proportionate and temporary.” EU data show short-term rental activity on four major platforms grew 93 percent between 2018 and 2024, and more than half of European city dwellers see housing affordability as an urgent issue. Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni welcomed the proposal as backing for his plan to phase out tourist apartments by 2028.

How it was framed

Outlets: 26. Countries: 12. Facts in the shared core: 4.

Publication timeline

2026-09-08 11:34 · La Vanguardia (outlet profile)
Bruselas prepara restricciones a los alquileres turísticos y a las segundas residencias. La Comisión Europea quiere dar la cobertura legal a las ciudades y autoridades nacionales en las zonas más amenazadas por la…
2026-09-08 20:42 · El Mundo (outlet profile)
Bruselas sienta las bases para prohibir la compra de segundas viviendas en zonas tensionadas para frenar la escalada de precios. El texto de la Comisión Europea se aleja de la norma española que buscaba la intervención…
2026-09-09 05:17 · Sud Ouest (outlet profile)
Logement : avec des zones classées “sous tension”, l’Union européenne veut aider les villes à réguler les locations de type Airbnb. Face à la crise du logement, Bruxelles s’apprête à dévoiler un plan pour offrir aux col…
2026-09-09 06:21 · Asharq Al-Awsat (outlet profile)
EU to Help Cities Tighten Screws on Airbnb, Holiday Rentals
2026-09-09 08:09 · Ouest-France (outlet profile)
Face à Airbnb, l’Europe donne aux maires « le pouvoir d’agir » pour restreindre certaines locations de courte durée. Face à la pénurie de logements, Bruxelles veut faciliter les restrictions des locations de courte duré…
2026-09-09 10:36 · elDiario.es (outlet profile)
La UE propone restringir la compra de segundas residencias en zonas tensionadas y penalizar fiscalmente las viviendas vacías. La Comisión Europea diseña unos condicionantes y exigencias muy estrictas para demostrar que…
2026-09-09 10:39 · Europa Press (outlet profile)
Bruselas pone condiciones para restringir plataformas como Airbnb y segundas viviendas en zonas tensionadas. La Comisión Europea ha ofrecido este miércoles a las autoridades locales un escudo legal para tomar medidas qu…
2026-09-09 10:41 · Bloomberg (outlet profile)
EU Offers Legal Backing for Cities Targeting Short-Term Rentals. The European Union proposed new tools to help cities restrict holiday rental operators like Airbnb in the hopes of deflating the continent’s ballooning ho…
2026-09-09 11:05 · El País (outlet profile)
Bruselas plantea límites a los alquileres vacacionales en las zonas tensionadas para mejorar el acceso a la vivienda. La Comisión pide que las medidas restrictivas que adopten los países sean “proporcionales y temporale…
2026-09-09 11:36 · El Mundo (outlet profile)
Ribera defiende la prohibición de comprar segundas viviendas en zonas tensionadas: "La cuestión es si un ayuntamiento puede dar prioridad a la vivienda habitual". Y el comisario Jorgensen añade que la UE está lanzando "…
2026-09-09 11:50 · Le Monde (outlet profile)
Logement abordable : les propositions controversées du commissaire européen Jorgensen. Dan Jorgensen propose notamment un critère de définition des zones en tension, et s’intéresse aux manières de diminuer la pression s…
2026-09-09 11:59 · O Globo (outlet profile)
UE aperta cerco contra aluguéis de temporada, como Airbnb, diante do agravamento da crise habitacional. A União Europeia propôs novas ferramentas para ajudar cidades a restringir operadores de aluguel por temporada, com…
2026-09-09 12:00 · BFMTV (outlet profile)
Bruxelles dévoile son plan "anti-Airbnb": l'UE veut permettre aux villes de limiter les locations de courte durée sans risquer de finir devant les tribunaux. L'Union européenne veut conforter juridiquement les collectiv…
2026-09-09 12:27 · DW (Deutsche Welle) (outlet profile)
EU proposes more restrictions for Airbnb, holiday rentals. The European Union wants tighter rules on short-term rentals to tackle housing shortages in tourist hotspots.
2026-09-09 12:54 · ТАСС (outlet profile)
Еврокомиссия признала наличие жилищного кризиса в ЕС. В ЕК отметили, что предлагают "принять меры, направленные против действий, уменьшающих количество доступного для долгосрочного пользования жилья"
2026-09-09 13:47 · El Economista (outlet profile)
La UE presenta plan para ayudar a las ciudades a plantar cara a Airbnb ante la crisis de la vivienda. Ante la crisis de la vivienda, la Unión Europea presentó este miércoles un plan para apoyar a las ciudades que quiera…
2026-09-09 13:50 · South China Morning Post (outlet profile)
EU plan aims to help cities crack down on Airbnb, holiday rentals. European cities will gain more leeway to curb short-term rentals such as Airbnb under new EU plans that aim to bring down housing costs in tourism hotsp…
2026-09-09 14:06 · Euronews (outlet profile)
EU to give cities more power to curb Airbnb and short-term rentals. "Short-term rental activity" grew 93 percent across four major letting platforms between 2018 and 2024, according to the EU.
2026-09-09 14:18 · News.ru (outlet profile)
Еврокомиссия признала проблему, которая становится все острее для ЕС. Еврокомиссия признала серьезные проблемы с доступностью жилья в городах Евросоюза. Более половины жителей европейских городов считают жилищный вопрос…
2026-09-09 14:24 · RTÉ News (outlet profile)
Cities could restrict short-term rentals under EU rules. Cities could have a new legal tool to crack down on short-term rentals and long vacancy properties under new EU rules being proposed today to alleviate the housin…
2026-09-09 14:34 · The Independent (outlet profile)
Tourists set to face new hurdle as EU’s crackdown on holiday rentals moves forward. Protests have broken out over the surging numbers of holiday rentals, which have restricted the availability of affordable homes
2026-09-09 15:03 · The Portugal News (outlet profile)
European Union moves to tackle short-term rentals. The European Commission is moving to give cities and regions more room to restrict short-term holiday rentals in areas where residents are struggling to find affordable…
2026-09-09 16:35 · elDiario.es (outlet profile)
Collboni ve el reglamento europeo de vivienda como un aval a su política de acabar con los pisos turísticos en 2028. El alcalde de Barcelona celebra la propuesta normativa en tanto que "blinda" la capacidad de las ciuda…
2026-09-09 18:44 · UOL (outlet profile)
União Europeia lança plano para apoiar cidades que desejam limitar aluguéis de curta duração. União Europeia apresentou nesta quarta-feira (9) um plano para apoiar as cidades que desejam limitar os aluguéis de curta dur…
2026-09-09 19:11 · Tanjug (outlet profile)
Evropska komisija predlaže nova pravila za ograničavanje kratkoročnog najma stanova
2026-09-09 19:35 · Heise (outlet profile)
Klarere Airbnb-Regeln in der EU: Wann Kommunen Kurzzeitvermietung stoppen dürfen. Mit dem Affordable Housing Act will die EU-Kommission Ferienwohnungen einschränken. Tech-Verbände kritisieren die fehlende Durchsetzung u…
2026-09-10 04:36 · El Economista (outlet profile)
UE ayuda a ciudades a endurecer las medidas contra Airbnb. Las ciudades europeas tendrán mayor margen de maniobra para frenar los alquileres a corto plazo, como los de Airbnb, gracias a los nuevos planes de la Unión Eur…
2026-09-10 08:09 · Euronews (outlet profile)
Europe's housing crisis has become an 'emergency', Commissioner Jørgensen warns. A "completely unacceptable" housing crisis in Europe is leaving many "normal people" unable to put a roof over their heads, the EU's housi…
2026-09-10 08:41 · Daily Mail (outlet profile)
EU clamps down on holiday lets and second homes in tourist hotspots - as locals are left deprived by severe housing crises. The Affordable Housing Act is a new legal framework to give tools and structure to authorities…
2026-09-10 09:19 · TheJournal.ie (outlet profile)
Mid-rise buildings could fill the gap in 'missing' medium-density housing. High-priced housing is not exclusive to Dublin so other governments are also experimenting with policies to fill the gap.

Factual core

The EU Commission's proposal aims to address housing affordability by limiting short-term rentals.
The European Commission's proposal is a response to Europe's housing crisis.
The proposal targets platforms such as Airbnb and second-home sales.
The European Commission approved the Affordable Housing Act on Wednesday.

Full methodology →