Brussels will intervene in the regulation of seasonal rentals

Europe has decided to intervene in the housing problem, whose stratospheric rise in price is putting severe strain on the continent's major urban centers. In fifteen years, taking 2010 as a reference, sales prices have increased by an average of 57.9% and rents by 27.8%, according to Eurostat data compiled by the European Parliament. "We are facing a crisis that is tearing at the social fabric of Europe," stated the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during the State of the Union debate held last Wednesday at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where she announced the upcoming approval of the first European Plan for Affordable Housing.

In addition to allocating European funds to boost the construction of affordable housing—based on existing budget allocations, according to EU sources—Brussels intends to develop specific basic regulations for seasonal rentals, which have skyrocketed in some cities as a way to escape regulations on conventional rental prices. In Barcelona, ​​they already represent 50% of the supply in this segment, further straining the market.

It is “unacceptable” that prices are driving residents out of cities, says Commissioner Jørgensen

The European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, confirmed to a group of Spanish journalists in Strasbourg that his department will include this legal initiative on short-term rentals in the Affordable Housing Plan, which he plans to present before the end of the year. "The housing crisis facing millions of Europeans requires urgent measures. We need housing to be more affordable, more sustainable, and of better quality," said Jørgensen, who considered it "unacceptable" that residents of cities and some tourist areas are being "priced out." "We need to give our cities back to our citizens," he concluded.

The provision of a specific European fund for Housing is a unanimous demand of major European cities, which have been pressuring EU institutions for months to create a specific aid fund for urban areas. Barcelona has led a group of around fifteen metropolitan areas across the continent—which also includes Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Athens, Warsaw, Lisbon, and Budapest, among others—in demanding a European action plan. Mayor Jaume Collboni personally defended the opinion on this matter approved in May by the Committee of the Regions, the EU advisory body representing territorial and local governments.

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Rising housing costs are a serious concern throughout Europe. Europeans spend an average of 20% of their income on housing, although this percentage masks widely varying situations, depending on the country and territory, whether urban or rural. In cities, one-tenth of the population must spend 40% of their income on housing, a proportion that far exceeds what is sustainable.

“Europe is facing a housing crisis affecting people of all ages; however, young people are disproportionately affected. Many young adults cannot afford their own homes and often have to continue living at their parents' homes. This crisis has far-reaching consequences,” warns researcher Sanna Nivakoski, author of a report on Youth and Housing to be presented by Eurofound next December.

The age of emancipation for young people has been delayed in Europe to an average of 26.2 years (as of 2024), while in Spain it stands at 30.