BRUSSELS (AFP) – The European Union yesterday warned holiday rental site Airbnb to bring consumer terms in line with the bloc’s rules or risk financial penalties.
The European Commission, the executive arm of the 28-nation EU, said it found that some of Airbnb’s pricing and other terms failed to meet EU guidelines.
“Airbnb has now until the end of August to propose detailed solutions on how to bring its conduct in compliance with EU consumer legislation,” the commission said.
Brussels said the firm failed to meet EU guidelines on price transparency, with some prospective customers seeing prices increase as they proceeded with making a reservation.
It also said the terms did not give consumers adequate protection in the event of a booking cancellation by the property owner.
The European Commission and EU national consumer authorities would meet with Airbnb in September if needed to tackle any remaining concerns, it said.
“If the company’s proposals are not considered satisfactory, consumer authorities could decide to resort to enforcement measures,” it said.
