REGULATION (EU) 2024/1028 UPDATES THE RULES FOR SHORT-TERM ACCOMMODATION RENTALS

The adoption of Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 marks a significant shift in the approach of the European Union to the regulation of online platforms providing short-term accommodation rental services. For the first time, such services are integrated into a harmonized Union framework for the collection and exchange of data.

The Regulation shall apply in all Member States from 20 May 2026.

This EU act applies to short-term rental services of furnished accommodation provided for remuneration, whether on a professional or non-professional basis, as defined under national law. These services may include, for example, the rental of a room in the host’s primary or secondary residence, the rental of an entire accommodation unit (whether located on land or on water) for a limited number of days per year, or one or more accommodation units acquired for investment purposes and made available for short-term rental, typically for periods of less than one year, on a recurring basis throughout the year. Such services are not limited to tourism or leisure purposes but also cover short stays for other purposes, including professional or educational stays.

The rules laid down in the Regulation do not apply to hotels and other comparable tourist accommodation establishments, such as hotels, serviced apartments, hostels or motels, where data relating to such establishments are already available and sufficiently documented. Nor do they apply to accommodation provided in campsites or designated areas for recreational vehicles and caravans (including tents, caravans and motorhomes), as such accommodation is generally located in dedicated areas and does not affect the availability of residential housing, unlike short-term accommodation rental services.

From fragmentation to harmonization

Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 establishes a harmonized framework for the collection and transmission of data, applicable to all online platforms intermediating such services within the European Union.

Short-term rental platforms shall be required to:

• display hosts’ registration numbers and refrain from allowing listings that do not include a valid registration number;
• periodically transmit verifiable data to competent authorities and contribute to the prevention of illegal listings;
• ensure the accuracy of the information made available.

The Regulation introduces a harmonized system for data exchange at national level (single digital entry point), as well as uniform rules at Union level.

Furthermore, the verification obligation assigns to platforms a role of effective compliance gatekeepers, in line with the regulatory approach established by Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 on a Single Market for Digital Services (Digital Services Act).

Host identification becomes the rule, not the exception

The Regulation establishes a registration scheme for hosts and the assignment of a unique registration number for each accommodation unit offered for short-term rental.

This registration number, as the key element ensuring traceability:

• shall be obtained prior to the publication of the listing (each accommodation unit shall be subject to a single registration procedure within a Member State, at national, regional or local level);
• shall be displayed on short-term rental platforms;
• shall be verified by online platform operators;
• shall be recorded in a publicly accessible register that does not contain personal data.

Hosts shall ensure that the information provided is accurate and kept up to date. Where supporting documents expire or are incomplete, they shall be duly updated. In the absence of such updates, competent authorities may suspend or withdraw the registration number and require the removal or disabling of access to the listing of the accommodation unit. Hosts shall have the right to be informed, to be heard and to rectify the data within a reasonable period.

Short-term rental platforms shall retain data only for as long as necessary and, in any event, for a maximum period of 18 months from the date on which the host submits a request for deregistration, in compliance with applicable data protection rules.

The single digital entry point

Another key pillar of the Regulation is the establishment of a single digital entry point at national level, through which data are collected and made available to competent authorities.

This infrastructure is intended to enable:

• automated exchange of information between Member States;
• reduction of the administrative burden for online platforms;
• rapid access to relevant data for monitoring and enforcement purposes.

Data to be collected

• data relating to the accommodation unit offered for short-term rental: full address, type of property (house, apartment, room, etc.), occupancy status (primary or secondary residence), number of rooms, guest capacity and access characteristics;
• data relating to the host, including the registration number;
• transactional data: dates of stay, number of guests, total amount paid and type of booking.

Enforcement and penalties regime

In order to ensure compliance with these provisions, the Regulation requires Member States to lay down penalties that are effective, proportionate and dissuasive.

Such penalties may include:

• suspension of the validity of the relevant registration number(s);
• an obligation for online platforms to remove or disable access to listings of hosts subject to enforcement measures.

As regards the application of this Regulation in Romania and the designation of the competent authority, national authorities shall, by 20 May 2026 at the latest, adopt and publish the legislative and administrative measures necessary to ensure compliance with this Union act.

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The Regulation places particular emphasis on traceability, with a view to ensuring the proper functioning of the internal market in relation to the provision of services by online short-term rental platforms, while also providing an effective tool for competent authorities, in particular at local level, for taxation and tax collection purposes.