Holiday rental company Airbnb has agreed to work with London and Amsterdam to enforce the cities’ regulations on lettings.
In a clear change of policy, the company said its website will police the limits each city has imposed on the number of days per year that property can be let.
It signed an agreement with London and Amsterdam last week through which it accepts responsibility for some degree of regulation, something it has resisted sharply until now.
It has not been shy in trying to fight off demands for regulation from a number of cities, among them San Francisco, New York, Berlin and Barcelona.
With the new agreement, however, Airbnb is reported to be the first short-term rental agency to agree controls.
London imposes a maximum annual rental period of 90 days without official permission while in Amsterdam the cap is 60 days.
The practice of renting out whole properties for short periods has been blamed for eroding an already low housing stock available for residents needing long-term contracts and also for pushing up local property prices.
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But how will this translate in Portugal - can we expect more blocking and delay as it might allow in more foreign tourism entrepreneurs ? Combining both horrors - Competition AND Effective Occupation!