The EU is home to over 1 million Hosts on Airbnb – more than any other region in the world – and nearly three-quarters of them share just one home. The typical Host earned just over €3,0002 in 2021 – equivalent to two months additional pay for the median EU household – and more than 40 percent say the additional income helps them afford rising living costs3.
Despite strong overall support for the EU’s new rules among Hosts, many continue to live under disproportionate rules that restrict the ability of local Hosts to share their homes. Only a third (32.9%) are optimistic that the proposal will improve their lives and make it easier for them to share their homes to boost their income.
Nearly half (44.8%) of respondents from Spain, for example, said their local rules were difficult to comply with. In France, where Airbnb has worked with the French government to introduce simple, immediate and free registration systems for local areas, fewer than one in five (16.7%) felt that their local rules were difficult to follow.
The survey also found that nearly half (47.0%) of EU Hosts said they would like to see the EU defend the Single Market and act against authorities that have introduced disproportionate local rules for Hosts. Nearly a third (29.1%) want to see a process established allowing Hosts to connect with the European Commission about the impact of local rules on hosting activity.
