Short-term Rental Regulation: Beyond Housing Affordability, EFFAT Demands Labour Safeguards

Short-term Rental Regulation: Beyond Housing Affordability, EFFAT Demands Labour Safeguards

Sep 16, 2026 | Featured, In the spotlight, Press release, Tourism

Brussels, 15 September 2026: EFFAT welcomes the European Commission's proposal for a regulation on short-term rentals aimed at addressing housing affordability in popular tourist destinations but expresses concern over the voluntary nature of the initiative and the lack of further labour safeguard.

The expansion of short-term rental platforms has driven up rents and pushed housing out of reach for both residents and workers with severe consequences for tourism and seasonal workers, who struggle to find affordable accommodation near their workplace.

Forced into long daily commutes or into accepting deplorable living conditions, this workforce is de facto excluded from the very cities and towns they help sustain.

'The expansion of professional unregulated short-term rentals raises serious concerns about social dumping and unfair competition. Short term rentals sector employs a growing number of workers including cleaners, property managers, reception and maintenance staff' says Virginie Demoucron, EFFAT political secretary in charge of Tourism. 'Yet, according to EFFAT and its affiliates, violations of these workers' rights, and a lack of compliance with labour standards and collective agreements, are endemic'.

To this end, EFFAT calls on the European Parliament and the Council to strengthen this text so that it becomes a vehicle for ensuring equal treatment of all workers employed across the tourism industry, by introducing effective mechanisms guaranteeing:

• Compliance with labour legislation and collective agreements. Airbnb and other platform hosts who employ workers must meet the same labour standards and collective agreements applicable to traditional tourism and hospitality operators>
• Due diligence and monitoring. Short-term rental platforms must assess and monitor the working conditions of workers employed by their hosts. Hosts convicted of labour rights violations, labour exploitation, undeclared work, or any other labour-related offence should be barred from operating on the platform.

Finally, EFFAT underlines that the regulation and accompanying recommendation should also include clear and concrete measures to tackle the unacceptable living conditions endured by all workers, including many farm workers, living in informal settlements and shantytowns. Access to decent, safe and affordable housing for all, must be recognised as a fundamental component of any acceptable housing policy in Europe.