Høyre kaller statsråden inn på teppet om Airbnb-utleie

Høyres stortingsrepresentant Mudassar Kapur has submitted an opening question to the Storting's inquiry session for next week, asking about the specific measures the government will take to provide necessary tools to municipalities for addressing illegal short-term rentals. The inquiry follows an extensive report by E24 this week on properties used for short-term rentals in several of Norway's largest cities.

Municipalities are responsible for investigating allegations of unlawful short-term rentals, but the government released a guide earlier this year to help municipalities address the issue. The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development Bjørnar Skjæran has promised that proposals for legislative changes will be presented in the fall.

While Kapur believes the regulation should be reviewed, he wants to know what concrete rules and tools municipalities can expect to receive, and what they can be clarified now. So far, the responses received have been vague, according to Kapur. Many parties have criticized the government for doing too little to solve the problems related to short-term rentals, including Venstre and Storting representative Abid Raja, who has clashed with the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development over the Airbnb issue.

Raja accused the government of being weak and lacking the ability to act, arguing that it has been in power since autumn 2021 and has not shown significant progress in addressing the housing crisis. He submitted a written question to Skjæran and expects a response from the Storting, not just rhetoric in the media. The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development says it looks forward to providing more detailed answers to the representatives' engagement in the Storting.

Høyre and Venstre can take the question about regulating short-term rentals in stride, as it is an issue the government prioritizes and considers important. Illegal large-scale and professional short-term rentals are already prohibited in Norway, and the government has already given municipalities a guide to distinguish sporadic rentals from hotel-like operations.

Raja pointed out that short-term rentals are a "hefty issue" in Tromsø, one of the cities reporting the greatest challenges with short-term rentals. The government recently gave Tromsø two million kroner to control short-term rentals.