تغييرات في "PROPOSAL 3 — Provide immediate support while driving structural reforms, including the regulation of short-term rentals and tackling speculation"

The Plan recognises that some cities, neighbourhoods and tourist areas are under severe housing pressure. In these areas, the expansion of short-term rentals and speculative investment can reduce the availability of long-term housing and push prices up. The Plan proposes better data, more transparency and a framework allowing public authorities to identify housing-stressed areas and take targeted, proportionate measures. These actions should be combined with broader reforms on vacant properties, social housing, taxation, transport and administrative procedures.

Full Reference text, excerpt from the European Affordable Housing Plan:

Certain neighbourhoods, particularly in cities but also other tourist hotspots, are experiencing acute housing affordability pressures. In these housing stressed areas, the rapid expansion of short-term rentals (STRs) combined with speculative investment practices  may be intensifying competition for limited housing stock which drives up prices. Local residents risk being pushed out of the market due to unaffordable prices and rents while others cannot take up jobs or education opportunities because they are unable to find housing that they can afford. A recent Eurobarometer survey has shown that by far the most urgent concern for Europeans living in cities is the lack of affordable housing.

The EU will support areas under housing stress to enhance affordable housing via legislative and non-legislative measures. This will include a framework for public authorities to identify stressed housing areas and clarify what targeted and proportionate actions may be taken to manage STRs and protect and promote housing affordability in those areas, including through faster planning and permitting.

This needs to be complemented by long-term structural reforms to enhance housing affordability in a variety of areas under the control of Member States such as action on vacant properties, developing social housing, local transport, taxation and administrative procedures.

The role that increased financialisation and speculation are playing in the housing crisis overall needs to be better understood, particularly given the absence of data and transparency in this area.

Open question for comments: How can Europe balance tourism, property rights, investment and the right of residents to access affordable housing?