A new Affordable Housing Law, which has been awaited for months and is included in the EU executive body's response to the current housing crisis in the Union, aims to establish general criteria for defining areas experiencing 'housing pressure' and the conditions under which measures affecting short-term accommodation can be applied, according to the draft available to the Lusa agency.
The document does not provide for a complete ban on local rentals but sets out criteria determining when national, regional, or local authorities can apply restrictive measures, a point actively advocated by European Commissioner for Oversight, Dan Jørgensen.
Thus, the goal is to create a common framework for assessing the presence of housing pressure and determining whether any restrictions on short-term accommodation are justified, necessary, and proportionate, while leaving member states and local authorities the decision on whether and how to intervene.
According to the draft, an area can be considered under pressure by taking into account, among other things, the ratio of housing prices to incomes, the dynamics of this ratio over recent years, as well as indicators related to population, supply, and demand for housing.
In the case of short-term accommodation, authorities must also demonstrate that this activity contributes to pressure on housing supply or prices before taking any measures.
The text provides for the exclusion of the main place of residence as a guarantee, distinguishing it from cases where homes are used for tourist accommodation.
For Brussels, the restrictions do not solve the structural causes of housing shortages, so the proposal only considers quantitative limits or transitional rules that must be accompanied by measures to increase supply, particularly through housing construction and renovation, as well as simplifying licensing processes.
Housing is the competence of national, regional, and local levels, and this proposal only establishes a general framework for assessing the compliance of certain measures with EU law.
Another objective is to reduce legal uncertainty, as member states use different criteria to determine whether an area is under pressure and when market restrictions may be justified.
The European Commissioner responsible for housing, Dan Jørgensen, warned about the impact of the growth of short-term accommodation on housing markets in some cities, advocating for a European response when this activity exacerbates prices or reduces supply for residents.
The proposal emerged after the European Commission identified short-term accommodation as one of the areas of intervention within the European Affordable Housing Plan, seeking to reconcile the need to protect housing with the economic importance of tourism.
The proposal will be presented on Thursday and should be discussed by the Member States and the European Parliament.
Lisbon is among the EU cities where the weight of housing costs is highest, amid strong pressure on the real estate market. Portugal faces high purchase and rental prices compared to family incomes, and the lack of supply exacerbates difficulties in accessing housing.