EU short-term rental rules: what they mean for property owners
The EU short-term rental rules do not ban renting by the night. They only standardise how data about these services is collected and shared. There are three pillars: registration of hosts where the authorities introduce it, a number visible in the listing, and platforms passing information to the authorities. In May 2024 the act has already been adopted, but there is still a lot of time before it applies. Do you have a studio flat listed on a booking site? Relax, there is no reason for any nervous moves.
What do the EU short-term rental rules change?
The short-term rental regulation puts the data in order. It does not restrict renting itself. The point is for the authorities to know who hosts tourists, where and how often. The European Parliament’s press release sets out the following obligations:
- online registration - a simple procedure for hosts in areas where the authorities decide to launch it,
- registration number in the offer - issued once the property has been registered and visible in the listing,
- random checks - platforms verify whether the information provided by hosts is reliable,
- monthly reporting - the sites send the number of nights, the number of guests, the address, the number and the listing URL to the national access point.
The authorities will be able to suspend numbers, demand the removal of offers without a valid registration and impose penalties on platforms or hosts who break the rules. Sounds threatening? In practice these are tools for keeping the data in order, not a cap on rental days or on the number of properties. Limits of that kind are still decided by countries and local governments, each on its own territory.
Where does this regulation come from in the first place? From scale. According to the European Parliament’s release on the new rules, this type of accommodation accounts for about a quarter of all tourist overnight stays in the EU. Some researchers link the lack of adequate rules to higher housing prices, the displacement of permanent residents and excessive tourist inflows. Reliable statistics are meant to help cities assess whether the problem actually exists in their area. Because today they often simply do not know.
Who do the new obligations apply to: hosts or platforms?
Both, just to a different extent. The host registers the property and provides the number, the platform checks the data and reports it. So the owner of a studio flat registers the flat themselves and enters the identifier they receive in the offer. The rest is up to the site: it makes it possible to display the number, checks it at random and sends a summary to the authorities every month. The host does not pass stay statistics to anyone. And that is a good thing.
Registration of nightly rental hosts applies only in areas where the authorities decide to introduce it. No procedure? No number, simple as that. Oh, and one thing that is easy to forget: a host is anyone who offers accommodation to tourists, including a person renting out someone else’s place. If someone is subletting a flat by the night, they should agree with the owner who will handle the registration.
When will the EU rules cover nightly rentals?
The regulation started to apply on 20 May 2026, that is 24 months after it entered into force. According to the European Parliament’s press release, MEPs adopted the act on 29 February 2024, and the Council approved it in the spring of the same year. Why such a long transition period? Countries have to build registration systems and an access point through which data from the sites will flow. That takes a while.
For an owner the conclusion is simple: in the 2024 season nothing changes in their offer. There is no form yet in which they could register the property. There is no field for the number in the listing either. In the following months of 2024 that was a time for following announcements, not for rebuilding the way you rent.
What is still unknown in Poland?
Quite a lot. In May 2024 it is not settled whether and where a national register will be set up - that depends on national decisions. The EU act defines the framework for exchanging information, but it does not say exactly how each country will organise the procedure. At least three questions are open:
- who would run the register and issue the numbers,
- what documents the application would require,
- whether the obligation would cover the whole country or only selected cities.
Taxes on income from renting to tourists and resolutions of housing communities are separate topics, and the new law does not settle them. And borderline matters, for example the status of the property or whether the rental already counts as a business activity? Here, in my opinion, it is best to see a lawyer. General write-ups (this text included) will not replace an assessment of a specific situation.
What should you prepare now?
Not much. It is enough to put the property documents and the listing data in order, so that later registration is a formality. None of these steps requires waiting for national decisions:
- Keep the legal title to the flat at hand, for example the notarial deed or an agreement that gives you the right to use the property.
- Compare the address and description in the offer with the actual state, including the number of sleeping places.
- Keep your own record of nights and guests, so that you can compare it with what the site reports.
- Follow announcements from the platform and the municipality, because they will be the first to let you know about new requirements.
Since you are going through the paperwork anyway, take a look at your insurance. A standard landlord insurance policy does not always cover damage caused during tourist stays, so the scope of cover needs to be confirmed with the insurer.
Is the registration number a reason to switch to long-term rental?
Because of the number alone? No. A short-term rental registration number is a formal obligation, not a ban, so it is no reason to change your model. It is better to base the decision on occupancy, on how much work goes into looking after guests, and on local restrictions that may appear regardless of Brussels. Both options are compared from this angle in the article on short-term or long-term rental. And anyone who ends up choosing a longer-term tenant can use Tenanto to keep track of lease and property statuses, get a reminder about a lease that is about to end and store documents.
The EU short-term rental rules mean above all more transparency and a bit of paperwork on the host’s side. The details in Poland depend on national decisions, which in spring 2024 are not there yet. Until then it makes more sense to put your documents in order than to give up a rental that works.
Frequently asked questions
No. The obligation will only appear where the authorities introduce a registration procedure. The regulation standardises its rules, but it does not require countries to create a register across their whole territory. Whether a particular town is covered will be settled by national decisions.
Every month the sites will send the number of nights rented, the number of guests, the address of the property, the registration number and the listing URL. The information will go to the national access point, which the competent authorities will use. The host does not send these summaries themselves.
The authorities will be able to demand that the platform remove such an offer, and also impose a penalty on the site or the host. But only in areas where registration applies. The level of the sanctions will be set by the individual countries.
