Knowledge documents

14 April 2026

Short-term rentals and public policy intervention in the EU

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• 271

An evidence-based framework to guide short-term rental (STR) regulation in accordance with the EU Services Directive and the Better Regulation Agenda. It offers practical guidance for local authorities on how to assess whether regulatory intervention is necessary and how to establish causal impacts using rigorous economic methods.

Content source Tap to access the content source Publishing org

Oxera

Related Organisation(s)

Booking.com

Booking.com

Topics Geographical descriptors

Albania

Armenia

Austria

Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Croatia

Cyprus

Czechia

Denmark

Estonia

EU-27

Finland

France

Georgia

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Kosovo

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Moldova

Montenegro

Netherlands

North Macedonia

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Serbia

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Türkiye

Ukraine

Other

Organisation Type

Academic / Research and VET Institutions

EU Institutions

Local Authorities

National authorities

Regional Authorities

• Specific types of tourism

• • Adventure tourism

  • Coastal, maritime and inland water tourism

  • Cultural tourism

  • Ecotourism

  • Education tourism

  • Festival tourism

  • Gastronomy tourism

  • Health and medical tourism

  • MICE tourism

  • Mountain tourism

  • Religious tourism

  • Rural tourism

  • Sports tourism

  • Urban/city tourism

  • Wellness tourism

• Transition Pathway Strategic Areas

• • Accessible tourism services

  • Best practices, peer learning and networking

  • Changes in tourism demand and opportunities

  • Circularity of tourism services

  • Cross-border travelling

  • Digitalisation of tourism SMEs and destinations

  • Governance of tourism destinations

  • Short-term rentals

  • Well-being of residents

• Business activities

• • Holiday Housing / Apartments and other short stay accommodation

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Short-term rental (STR) accommodation has grown significantly across the EU in recent years. In discussions around the impacts of STRs, some local authorities have implemented restrictions aimed at addressing concerns related to housing affordability and urban environments, often without comprehensive evidence-based analysis. However, the causal link between STR activity and these outcomes is still not well established. Understanding the true effects of STRs requires rigorous evaluation approaches that go beyond identifying simple correlations.

This Oxera report, commissioned by Booking.com, sets out an evidence-based framework to inform STR regulation. It provides practical guidance for local authorities on how to determine whether regulatory action is warranted and how to identify causal impacts using robust economic methodologies. Where intervention is deemed appropriate, the report promotes best practice by recommending the least restrictive measures capable of addressing the identified market failure, while limiting unintended market distortions and aligning with the EU principle of proportionality.

Documents Short-term rentals and public policy intervention in the EU (Full Report in PDF)English(1.06 MB - PDF)Download Rating Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 Average: 5 (1 vote) Rate Comments (0) Related content-

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