Local authorities in several European cities claim they are unable to deal with housing shortages due to the rise of the world's most popular online hospitality service, Airbnb.

In a letter jointly signed by Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Bordeaux, Brussels, Krakow, Munich, Paris, Valencia, and Vienna that was addressed to the EU institutions, the group claims that the short-term holiday rental model used by Airbnb "has caused nuisances that have led to the touristification of numerous neighbo...