EDITOR'S COMMENT
The legislative landscape continues to shift rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic. Just a week after Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni announced a potential ban on holiday rentals by late 2028, a bill aimed at regulating vacation rentals in Florida has been vetoed, and in Scotland, a holiday let licensing law has been relaxed in Parliament.
With every ban or legislative measure that is introduced around the world, there is noticeable uproar on both sides - whether they believe it is too extreme or the scope does not stretch far enough. That has been very evident in my discussions with property managers, advocacy organisations and lobby groups for my first-ever video explainer piece outlining the key topics and questions in relation to the potential holiday rental ban in Barcelona.
The proposed measure in Barcelona threatens to put operators out of business and cut a crucial revenue source for hosts who are renting their properties out in a responsible manner, while failing to get to the real root of the affordable housing crisis. As in New York City, which imposed restrictive measures in September last year, a ban could actually exacerbate the housing shortage and lead to the creation of underground subletting networks.
This is in contrast to what we have seen in Florida and Scotland this week, with governor Ron DeSantis bowing to advocacy group pressure and vetoing a bill due to "bureaucratic red tape", and MSPs in Holyrood announcing technical updates to a short-term let licensing scheme that will reassure property owners about their ongoing ability to operate. What this goes to show is that proportionate measures can be achieved when everyone sits down to discuss their concerns and dispel certain myths about this industry - especially when many regulations are introduced for political reasons over a real desire to resolve the housing crisis.
Scroll down for the latest industry news ⬇️
Please click here if you have a story you want us to tell the industry, or would like to be considered for a feature, podcast or webinar.
