The European parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of new rules for Airbnb-style rentals which will force agencies to share data with local authorities and introduces rules on registration.

In 2022, 13 cities including Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona called for urgent EU action, arguing that long-term rentals were increasingly being converted into short-term tourist accommodation causing soaring prices and more problems for residents.

“Yes, my Airbnb law is officially adopted by the European parliament!” Dutch MEP Kim Sparrentak, who spearheaded the regulations, said on social media. “With these new rules, short term rental platforms will have to share more data, to empower cities all over Europe to enforce their local rules.”

It is, she said, “a big step for affordable housing and liveable cities”.

The new legislation requires online agencies to share information with local councils, feed into tourism statistics and help officials to regulate the market.

The regulation will also introduce registration requirements for hosts and short-term rental properties.

Short-term rentals booked via online agencies represent around 25% of tourist accommodation in the European Union.

In the second quarter of 2023, almost 153 million nights stays were booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia or TripAdvisor, an increase of 16% compared with the same period in 2022, according to the EU statistical office Eurostat.

There is currently significant variation in registration schemes for short-term rentals across the EU. According to the commission in 2022, 23 member states had some type of procedure at national, regional, and/or local levels, while others are considering introducing one.

Since 2021, Amsterdam hosts have had to register their property with the city council and can only rent it out for a maximum of 30 days.