Short-term rentals causing ‘huge problems’, says EU housing commissioner

Upcoming publication of EU housing plan brought forward

Short-term rentals are a ‘huge problem’ for many European cities, according to the EU’s commissioner for housing, who is set to propose new rules on the sector in an upcoming housing plan.  

Denmark’s Dan Jørgensen, speaking to the Guardian, said platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com, have created a ‘social crisis’ of people struggling to afford a home.

The EU’s first ever housing commissioner said: “If we don’t, as policymakers, take this problem seriously and acknowledge that this is a social problem and needs action, then … the anti-EU populists will win.”

He added that Brussels had so far ‘failed to deliver’ on some of the key elements of the housing crisis.

Jørgensen has been tasked with crafting the EU’s first-ever affordable housing plan, which is expected to be made public in December. He said publication had been brought forward from 2026, citing its urgency.

“The upcoming housing plan will cover areas where it is indeed very clear that [housing] is a European competence and where we have failed to deliver so far,” he said. “One of those areas is short-term rentals, where we do need more European rules.”

Jørgensen said short-term rentals were ‘a huge problem in many cities’ but did not name specific websites or detail any proposals.

He did say that the EU’s affordable housing plan would address the ‘financialisation’ of housing, because “it is clear that when housing becomes a commodity, something that is used for speculation with no need to take into consideration the rest of the society, then of course that potentially causes problems”.

The commission has been studying how member states had sought to eliminate or reduce the problem, Jørgensen said.

For example, Spain is planning a 100% tax on the value of properties bought by non-EU residents, while other countries have put requirements on developers to build a certain percentage of affordable homes.

Jørgensen, the European Commission’s first housing commissioner since the role was created in 2024, said the body was also considering how to better protect tenants’ rights.

EU leaders are due to discuss housing at a summit next week.