The UK Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA) has welcomed the ruling by the European Court of Justice about clarifying Airbnb’s status as an Information Society Services (ISS) provider and not a real estate agent.

Merilee Karr, chair of STAA said: “We welcome the clarification by the European Court of Justice about Airbnb’s status as an ISS provider and not a real estate agent. This provides a much greater degree of certainty and confidence for those of our members operating similar platforms, now that a legal precedent has been set.”

“For those of our members based in the UK with Brexit ahead, these rules will apply for at least another year during the transition period contained within the Withdrawal Agreement Bill and may be longer lasting,” Karr added.

For short term rental hosts and guests, there is little direct impact. The sector remains regulated in the UK, but from now on it will be unlawful to be made subject to additional regulations that currently apply to real estate providers. The UK government maintains the ability to regulate the home-sharing sector in the years ahead and the STAA looks forward to working together with stakeholders to ensure that this happens in a balanced and proportionate way.