POLICY SOLUTIONS
Vrbo’s Whole Home, Whole Community Policy Framework
Vrbo believes that fair and effective vacation rental policies are achieved through compromise and collaboration, not with bans or onerous restrictions.
Vrbo is committed to being a good neighbour and contributing positively to communities. This is grounded in respecting the concerns and unique character of the communities in which we operate.
That is why we work with lawmakers and other stakeholders to ensure vacation rental regulations hit the right balance of respecting community concerns while supporting lodging options for travelers, providing important income to vacation rental owners, and spreading the benefits of tourism.
Every community is unique – there is no single policy model that is right for every community.
“Vrbo is committed to being a good neighbour and contributing positively to communities.”
There are, however, common issues and recurring areas of concern from community to community. Vrbo has drawn upon its experience and policy solutions that are working across Europe to develop the Whole Home, Whole Community framework for local regulation.
The Whole Home, Whole Community framework proposes solutions for some of the most common issues vacation rental regulation seeks to address. The framework includes:
Supporting cities through reasonable taxes and fees
Whole Home, Whole Community offers a path forward to achieving good policy that addresses community concerns while allowing for the opportunities vacation rentals provide for homeowners and travelers.
Cross-industry agreement with the European Commission and Eurostat
Expedia Group, owner of Vrbo, has gladly signed a cross-industry agreement with the European Commission and Eurostat to share data on short-term rental transactions. Through the agreement, Eurostat is able to provide insights to all European (EU) Member States, at national, regional and city level, on both the number of guests and nights booked. Eurostat receives data at regular intervals and aggregates them across various platforms. In line with applicable EU data protection legislation, individual citizens and property owners’ data are not shared.
Thanks to the agreement, authorities have direct access to reliable data on tourism trends and the use of short-term rental accommodations in Europe. It also enables authorities to better analyse and comprehend dynamics in the short-term rental and tourism industry and allow for more evidence-based discussions and proportionate policy development.
Association policy publication
