Affordable Housing Act: UIPI’s Call for Getting the Balance Right for Europe’s Housing Market 

Brussels, 09 September 2026 — The International Union of Property Owners (UIPI), representing
private property owners across Europe, welcomes the European Commission’s efforts to address
housing affordability and availability. UIPI considers, however, that the final framework must be
proportionate, legally sound, and must respect both the rights of individuals to use their property,
and the diversity of long-term rental arrangements.

Europe’s housing shortage can only be addressed by increasing supply and making better use of
existing homes. UIPI therefore welcomes the Commission’s Recommendation on housing
affordability and supply in areas under housing stress and its focus on faster permitting,
construction and investment, mobilising land and using existing buildings more effectively.

UIPI is concerned, however, that short-term rentals and non-primary residences, though
fundamentally different situations, are addressed within the same framework under the proposed
Affordable Housing Act (AHA – Regulation). Short-term rentals, in many instances, concern the
regulation of an economic activity, whereas measures relating to non-primary residences concern
something different in nature: the right of individuals to acquire, hold and use property. While the
AHA creates no new powers for competent authorities, it provides a common EU basis on which
they may restrict, or even prohibit, the acquisition or use of such property, once an area is
designated as under housing stress — raising legal questions for owners. In addition, what counts
as a ‘primary residence’ is not always straightforward, and this lack of clarity could create legal
uncertainty across the many forms long-term leases can take.

UIPI therefore calls for a clear distinction between these cases and for a proportionate and legally
robust framework. This is particularly important in Member States where housing responsibilities
are divided between national, regional and local authorities. These are among the points UIPI
believes will need to be clarified as the legislative process advances.

UIPI President Kai Warnecke said:

“Much of this debate is about the framework for possible restriction. But the priority must be to
increase housing supply and make the long-term rental market attractive, predictable and viable, by
encouraging those who invest in building and providing housing, including affordable housing, and
by giving long-term rental providers the legal certainty and confidence to stay in the market.”