The European Commission has unveiled the “affordable housing act”, a new initiative intended to give national and local authorities clearer legal scope to protect housing affordability and availability in areas under acute pressure, the Commission said.
What the Commission announced
The proposal aims to help countries and cities address sharp local housing pressures linked to high rents, rising house prices, short‑term rentals, second homes and prolonged vacancies. The Commission says the act does not transfer housing decisions to Brussels: choices on whether to act and which measures to take remain with national, regional and local authorities.
If authorities decide to intervene, the proposal requires them to demonstrate that homes used as short‑term rentals, held as second homes or left empty are contributing to local housing pressures. Any measures they adopt must be targeted, necessary and proportionate, the Commission adds.
On short‑term rentals, the act sets out specific conditions before restrictions can be introduced. Authorities must show that short‑term rental activity has had a significant adverse effect on housing affordability or availability for at least three years and that less restrictive measures would not be equally effective. Competent authorities are also required to apply and enforce existing EU rules on short‑term rentals—such as registration requirements—and to use available data under the relevant Regulation to support their assessments.
The proposal also provides a clearer framework for measures aimed at second homes and long‑term vacant properties. It stipulates that conditions linked to acquisition cannot be applied retroactively, that appropriate transitional arrangements must be provided, and that measures addressing long‑term vacancy should take into account justified periods of non‑occupation.
As part of the initiative, the Commission recommends that authorities prepare Housing Acceleration Plans to boost supply in the most affected areas by improving planning and permitting, renovating and repurposing buildings, and mobilising investment.
Why it matters
The Commission frames the act as a response to growing concerns across cities and regions where many people face difficulty finding affordable homes. It aims to provide legal certainty for public authorities seeking to curb factors that reduce locally available housing stock—notably short‑term lets and non‑occupied properties—while underlining that interventions must respect proportionality and existing EU law.
Investors and property owners, the Commission says, will gain more clarity on the EU legal framework governing such measures. The initiative is presented as an effort to balance local policy tools with safeguards against retroactive restrictions.
What happens next
The Commission’s page describes the initiative as a proposal and indicates measures and criteria authorities should follow if they decide to act. The text does not set out a legislative timetable or list specific national measures; it focuses on the conditions authorities must meet and recommends preparation of Housing Acceleration Plans. The webpage was last updated on 10 September 2026.
