The EC encourages Airbnb to indicate the final price of services

On 16 July, the European Commission and the European Union (EU) urged Airbnb to reserve their accommodation services in accordance with EU consumer protection rules and to guarantee the transparency of their pricing, according to the EC communication.
Vera Jourova, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, said: "More and more homes for consumers are being booked for their holidays on the internet and this sector offers many opportunities for holidaymakers. understandable information about how much they will pay for certain services and fair rules, such as when the owner of the accommodation cancels a reservation.I think Airbnb will soon propose the right solutions.

The current practice of reflecting on Airbnb prices and several provisions do not comply with the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, the Unfair Contract Terms Directive and the Regulation on Jurisdiction, Recognition and the execution of decisions in civil and commercial matters. Therefore, European consumer protection authorities and the EC have asked Airbnb to make a number of changes. At the end of the month of August, he must submit his proposals. As soon as Airbnb proposes solutions to address these shortcomings, the Commission and the EU consumer protection authorities will review the proposed changes. If they are unsatisfactory, enforcement action could be taken against Airbnb

Airbnb's pricing practice, as well as the distinction between private dwellings (private households) and professional occupants, do not comply the requirements of European law, in particular the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. Therefore, Airbnb must change the way it provides price information (as soon as a consumer conducts a search on its website) to ensure that a bed is offered to the consumer, which includes all charges mandatory, such as maintenance and cleaning, or if the final price can not be calculated in advance, then clearly informs the consumer that an additional charge may be applied, indicated by the EC. He adds that Airbnb must clearly indicate whether the accommodation is offered by a private occupant (household) or a professional occupant, because the consumer protection rules applicable in one case or another are different.

The services provided by Airbnb must comply with European law in the field of consumer protection. The Unfair Contract Terms Directive stipulates that standard rules must not create a significant imbalance between the rights and obligations of the parties for the poor consumer. The directive also provides that rules should be written in clear and understandable language to ensure that consumers are informed in a clear and understandable way about their rights.

The EC states that the provisions of the services provided by Airbnb must be aligned with European consumer protection law. The Unfair Contract Terms Directive stipulates that standard rules must not create a significant imbalance between the rights and obligations of the parties for the poor consumer. The Directive also provides that rules should be formulated in clear and understandable language so that consumers are informed of their rights in a clear and understandable way. For Airbnb, this means, for example, that it must not mislead the consumer by giving jurisdiction to a court of a Member State other than the country of origin of the consumer; Airbnb can not decide unilaterally and without justification the rules that will remain in force upon termination of the contract: Airbnb can not deny consumers the basic legal right to sue their lord if they are injured or otherwise harmed; Airbnb can not unilaterally modify the terms and conditions without a good opinion of the consumer, without giving them the opportunity to withdraw from the contract; the terms of use of the services shall not provide for Airbnb's unlimited discretion in terms of cancellation; Airbnb may be terminated or suspended only if such action is explained to consumers on the basis of clearly defined rules and shall not prevent consumers from obtaining appropriate compensation and redress, the Airbnb policy being clearly defined regarding return of money received, Finally, in accordance with the Online Dispute Resolution Regulation, Airbnb must provide its website with an easily accessible link to the Online Dispute Resolution Platform (SIT). platform) and all necessary information concerning dispute settlement, adds to the EC.