Short-term rentals have become one of Europe’s most dynamic hospitality segments, with hundreds of millions of guest nights a year and Eurostat shows continued growth. One problem, however, has been inconsistent regulations across the continent, coupled with fragmented registration systems and uneven enforcement.
This is set to change in 2026, with the EU’s new ruling that makes it mandatory for online platforms to share data with local authorities, as well as a digital registration system for hosts.
This article will break down what changed, what didn’t, and what short-term rental (STR) operators must do now across apartments, villas, aparthotels, hotels-with-STR units, multifamily, and student accommodation assets that enter the STR channel.
As of 20 May 2026, Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 requires Member States and booking platforms to have interoperable registration and data-sharing systems. The EU still won't decide where STRs are legal or set EU-wide caps. Rather, the new regulation standardizes how registration works, requires platforms to verify and display registration numbers, and mandates monthly data reporting via national “single digital entry points.”
Europe’s STR market is no longer in its infancy. For context, Airbnb began operating in Europe in 2011. Eurostat’s data shows that in Q3 2025, Airbnb, Expedia, and Booking hosted 398 million guest nights in the EU. Meanwhile, research from Rental Scale-Up noted that almost half of all platform bookings across the continent were concentrated in just 20 regions. As RSU puts it, “the battle for market share is increasingly a regional one.”
Against that backdrop, authorities faced four consistent challenges:
Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 responds to those operational gaps and creates common data rails so that cities and regions can actually enforce the housing and tourism rules they set. In the words of MEP Kim van Sparrentak, “previously, rental platforms didn't share data, making it hard to enforce city rules. This new law changes that, giving cities more control.”
The regulation standardizes how enforcement infrastructure works across the EU where a registration procedure applies. That includes:
Smaller platforms below certain activity thresholds are required to report on a quarterly basis rather than monthly, and hotels and hostels are out of scope for the data-sharing regime. Mixed assets (for example, hotels that sell self‑contained STR‑like units on platforms) may still be captured where those units meet the definition of short‑term accommodation rental services.
This is an enforcement infrastructure regulation, not a housing policy regulation. Therefore it doesn't:
Local rules still govern what is legal and where, and the EU is trying to allow those rules to be enforced consistently and transparently.
Member States were required to stand up core systems by 20 May 2026. That includes:
Whether every system operates at full intensity on day one remains to be seen, and it’s more likely that many national portals will stabilize through late 2026, with enforcement intensity ramping through 2027 as systems and staffing catch up. But the legal obligations are live, and the data firehose is beginning to turn on for regulators. For operators, 20 May 2026 marks the pivot from policy to operational reality.
The EU didn’t force universal registration, but registration numbers will become unavoidable in practice in markets with registration regimes. Here’s why:
In short: if your market requires a registration number, then you’ll need one to operate and it must be valid, visible, and consistent across platforms.
Under the new EU STR regulations, booking platforms shift from passive intermediaries to jointly responsible actors. These platforms, such as Airbnb and Booking.com, must:
The European Parliament explainer also highlights that authorities can halt registrations or impose fines on platforms that fail to meet their obligations.
Standardized reporting includes, at minimum:
This information empowers authorities to cross-check active listings against registration databases, compare nights booked to local caps, and spot mismatches between tax declarations and booking activity.
The EU regulation doesn’t create national and local systems, but strengthens them by making those systems interoperable and enforceable.
In Spain, authorities fined Airbnb €64 million for advertising unlicensed rentals and pushed platforms to remove or correct tens of thousands of listings, with tens of thousands more adding registration numbers in 2025–26. Barcelona has announced it will end licenses for 10,101 tourist apartments by November 2028, a move facing legal challenge but emblematic of the direction of travel.
In France, principal residence limits and municipal registration, such as in Paris and Lyon, are now more enforceable because booking activity can be matched to registration records. In the Netherlands, Amsterdam’s long-standing cap of 30 nights per year for primary residences is easier to audit, and there are proposals to reduce some zones to 15 nights from April 2026.
Germany’s Zweckentfremdung laws, which restrict the misuse of housing, gain fresh teeth with verified listing and activity data. Berlin Senate’s press officer Anett Seltz reports that over 8,000 vacation apartments have been returned to the long-term market, and with the platform data “a possible unreported figure can be addressed more effectively.”
It’s essential to remember that these national and city rules don’t come from the EU regulation. They exist independently, and expect the new regulation to help enforcement.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 is not an EU-wide cap or ban on STRs. This regulation provides a common toolbox to make local rules enforceable. Member States and cities retain full control over:
The European Commission’s broader affordable housing agenda suggests further legislative proposals by the end of 2026, potentially including a “white list” of options for local authorities in stressed areas, but not a ban on STRs.
Professional operators need to treat compliance operations as a moat. This may mean designating a compliance lead or team, not leaving it as a side task for revenue management. You’ll want centralized tracking of registration numbers, cross-platform reconciliation, policy monitoring for each municipality, night-cap monitoring, and audit-ready documentation.
It’s also worth classifying properties by regulatory resilience so you can underwrite policy risk alongside pricing and demand:
If you operate in multiple countries, your actions should include monitoring each Member State’s single digital entry point or national STR portal for updates, preparing for structured data audits, and standardizing internal compliance across jurisdictions. In 2026 and 2027, the competitive differentiator won’t just be RevPAR, it will be your ability to demonstrate clean compliance across a patchwork of local rules, backed by verifiable data.
No, there is no EU license. Local laws still determine what is required where. The new regulation supports national and local systems by standardizing data-sharing and verification.
The rules apply based on the property’s location, not the guest’s nationality. For example, a host letting a property in Spain must follow Spanish and local city rules.
Only where a registration procedure applies, but the verification obligation makes those systems enforceable in practice.
Yes. Platform compliance helps surface and verify data, but it doesn’t replace your obligation to meet local zoning, caps, taxes, and safety standards.
Yes. The EU regulation doesn’t override local housing policy. It provides the infrastructure that makes existing bans, caps, or quotas more enforceable.
At minimum: host identity, listing address, registration number where applicable, nights booked, and number of stays, with additional activity metrics where required.
Use this as a working framework and adapt to your markets:
1) Confirm registration requirements
Validate whether your property type and location require STR registration and, if so, the governing authority. Obtain and display valid registration numbers wherever required.
2) Make a “system of record” for registrations
Choose where you’ll store, validate, and update registration IDs internally (e.g., PMS, internal compliance database, or a spreadsheet/workflow). Ensure the same ID appears consistently across Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, and any direct channels.
3) Reconcile nights against local caps
Create a monthly process to compare platform-reported nights and stays to local caps, and automate where possible via PMS or channel manager exports. Document any exclusions or exemptions that apply to your listing type.
4) Monitor your national entry point
Subscribe to alerts from your Member State’s single digital entry point or national STR portal. Track reporting cadence updates and enforcement guidance.
5) Prepare audit-ready evidence
Maintain a dossier per property with registration proofs, platform listing screenshots, safety compliance records, and tax filings. Anticipate data-led audits rather than complaint-led inspections.
6) Classify assets by regulatory resilience
Map each property to a regulatory profile, such as primary residence model, secondary home, hospitality-licensed unit, or mid-term capable, and set pivot plans if caps tighten.
7) Build neighbor and building-level trust
Codify house rules, rapid-response protocols, and respectful monitoring. Good communication is effective at reducing complaints, strengthening license renewals, and lowering building-wide policy risk.
This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or compliance advice. Regulations change and their application varies by jurisdiction and property type. Always consult local counsel and the competent authorities in each market where you operate.
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