EU Court Rules Against French Hoteliers’ Airbnb Claim

The EU’s highest court rejected on Thursday, a French hotels association suit against Airbnb ruling that the home-sharing platform is not required to hold a real estate agent’s licence in order to operate in France.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) decision classified Airbnb as an “information society service”, adding that “France cannot require Airbnb to hold an estate agent’s professional licence”.

France’s Association for Professional Tourism and Accommodation (AHTOP) was calling on the court to decide that Airbnb be submitted to the same accounting, insurance and other financial obligations as traditional real estate providers, citing unfair competition.

Meanwhile, in Greece, individual apartment building regulations may soon stipulate whether a flat owner can lease his property for short-term tourist accommodation purposes.

According to local media reports, the Greek government is currently preparing draft legislation which may hand over control to apartment building rules to set out the terms regarding what is and is not permitted concerning short-term Airbnb-style rentals.

Should this apply, it will be up to each building’s landlord tenant law to decide. Violators may be taken to court, which could potentially award money damages to tenants as a result.

According to a report in Ta Nea, the finance and tourism ministries are preparing the bill which is set to be tabled in parliament shortly after the holidays.

It should be noted that earlier this month an Athens 1st Instance court rejected a class action suit by apartment owners against a proprietor leasing her property through online rental platforms.

Greece’s unclear framework governing short-term rentals for accommodation purposes has led dozens of permanent home owners to take legal action against Airbnb-style activity triggering confusing results.