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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Jennifer Rankin in Brussels

EU to propose short-term rental rules to tackle ‘social crisis’ in housing

Graffiti on the wooden doorway of a historic stone building, under an ornate iron balcony, reads 'Airbnb dehors', or 'Airbnb out'; surrounding buildings are covered in graffiti images and tags, and there are signs indicating the local library and street names; the doorway is in the Rue du Panier
Anti-Airbnb graffiti in the Le Panier district of Marseille. Short-term rentals have been blamed across Europe for driving up rents and forcing local people out of city centres. Photograph: Neil Setchfield/Alamy

The EU executive will propose rules to tackle the “huge problem” of short-term rentals via platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com, as it seeks to confront the “social crisis” of people struggling to afford a home, its first-ever housing commissioner has said.

In an interview with the Guardian and other European newspapers, Dan Jørgensen said it was time for Brussels policymakers to take housing seriously or cede ground to anti-EU populists, who, he said, did not have the answers to the shortage of affordable homes.

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