Changes to a Brussels ordinance on furnished tourist accommodation approved by the Brussels-Capital Region last Thursday has been criticised by Airbnb for placing an administrative burden on private rental owners.
It labelled the new requirements as "disproportionate" and said that it would discourage Brussels residents from occasionally renting out their accommodation, and instead benefit those who speculate in the property market, Airbnb announced on Monday.
The new tourist accommodation rules for Brussels will come into force in the near future. They will aim both to provide a framework for the safe exercise of an economic activity and to limit negative effects resulting from an anarchic supply of accommodation, the Brussels Government announced last Thursday. A draft ordinance adopted by the Brussels Government will shortly be put before the Parliament.
While recognising the need for proportionate regulation, Airbnb says it shares the concerns of hosts and local tourism stakeholders, stating that it believes that "the new draft ordinance on furnished tourist accommodation in Brussels is far too complex and places disproportionate administrative burdens on accommodation providers."
"Such regulation will continue to be detrimental to many families in the Region, who depend on this additional income to make ends meet. We hope to work with parliamentarians on rules that, rather than complicating it, make life easier for Brussels families who occasionally rent out their accommodation," the company told the Belga News Agency.
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Airbnb says that this ordinance will force accommodation providers to provide a large number of supporting documents, which must be requested from various government bodies, to obtain registration documents. The current equipment requirements, which includes certifying equipment such as the number of clothes hangers, hobs, and the minimum wattage for electric lights in bathrooms, will also remain in place.
"The revised draft ordinance is unlikely to be in line with the new European framework for the regulation of short-term rentals in the European Union which should be adopted before the end of the year," Airbnb noted.
