The Hungarian competition authority, known as GVH, has raised concerns that Airbnb is not adequately informing Hungarian users, potentially misleading them. As a result, the GVH has launched a competition supervision procedure against Airbnb Ireland UC, the company operating the platform.

Airbnb, founded in San Francisco in 2008, allows users to rent and book accommodations through its platform, which currently lists over 2 million properties across 34,000 cities in 191 countries. In Hungary, the platform has been active since the early 2010s, with its Hungarian website attracting over 500,000 visitors monthly between April and June 2025.

The GVH's investigation is prompted by observations that Airbnb's website and mobile app contain extensive, fragmented, and contradictory information, with some content only available in English. This raises concerns that the company may not be meeting the professional diligence required to inform consumers about service conditions, particularly regarding booking requests and refunds.

Additionally, the GVH noted that Airbnb may be failing to disclose that accommodations can also be booked on other platforms or directly through the hosts' own online channels, which constitutes a significant omission of information for consumers.

The initiation of this procedure does not imply that Airbnb has committed a legal violation; it is aimed at clarifying the facts and proving any alleged infringement. The investigation is expected to last three months, with the possibility of two extensions of up to two months each if justified.

In recent years, the GVH has focused on the online accommodation market, having previously conducted investigations into various market players. In 2023, the authority also carried out a rapid sector inquiry into the domestic online accommodation market, proposing several measures to enhance market competition and protect consumers. A previous investigation into Airbnb in 2016 concluded with the acceptance of commitments in 2018, but a follow-up review in 2021 revealed that the company had not fully complied, resulting in a fine of 40 million HUF.