Short-Term Rental Regulations
Rental Scale-Up’s guide to the latest short-term rental regulations impacting property managers. This category tracks new rules from cities, regions, and countries—covering registration limits, primary residence caps, tax enforcement, zoning changes, and licensing updates. We break down what each policy means for property managers, what’s changing, and what action you need to take. From compliance risks to shifting business models, our regulatory coverage helps vacation rental pros stay legal, competitive, and prepared for what’s next.
Chicago Weighs Ban Renewal, Croatia Rolls Out Registry, Florence Expands Short-Term Rental Ban
Short-term rental rules moved on three fronts this week. In Chicago, the City Council's License and Consumer Protection Committee took up the renewal of a location-based short-term rental ban on June 9, while housing advocates pointed to a surge in investor-owned Airbnbs in the 20th Ward near the soon-to-open Obama Presidential Center. Croatia began rolling out a mandatory national registration number this month, with multi-unit operators now needing consent from two-thirds of building co-owners. In Italy, Florence expanded its ban on new short-term rentals to nine more neighborhoods, adding 67,780 homes to the restricted zone, days after a regional court upheld its original historic-center ban.
French Short-term rentals and the Hoguet Law: What the FNAIM Report from April 2026 Says
TL;DR: France's FNAIM clarified in April 2026 which concierge activities fall under the Hoguet Law. Managing listings, handling funds, or signing leases requires a T or G card license. Cleaning, key handover, and guest welcome do not. Operating unlicensed risks fines up to €30,000 — and up to €100,000 per unit under the Le Meur Act. The report lands as Paris enforcement hits record levels and France's national STR registration deadline takes effect.
Ireland Launches National Register, Vienna Hikes Tourist Tax, Madison AL Caps Permits
TL;DR: Ireland's Ministers confirmed the Fáilte Ireland national short-term let register will launch December 1, 2026, requiring all hosts to register by December 31. Vienna is enforcing its 90-day short-term rental cap under the amended Building Code to protect year-round housing stock, alongside a confirmed July 2026 Ortstaxe increase to 5%. The Madison, Alabama City Council scheduled a June 22 public hearing on a proposed ordinance capping short-term rentals at 190 permits; STRs currently have no legal framework in the city, making this a narrow pathway to operate legally.
Porto Voids 1,413 Registrations, South Africa Weighs National Vacation Rental Rules, Hawaii Lets Counties Phase Out Tourist Stays
TL;DR: Porto City Council is canceling 1,413 Alojamento Local registrations, roughly 13% of its active inventory, after operators failed to submit mandatory civil liability insurance proof, permanently reducing supply in the historic center. South Africa’s Department of Tourism closed public consultation on May 12 for its first national Draft Code of Good Practice for short-term rentals. In the US, Hawaii’s landmark SB 2919 officially grants counties sweeping authority to amortize and completely phase out existing short-term rentals in residential zones.
EU Short-Term Rental Data Sharing Goes Live, Australia Calls for Sweeping Reforms, US States Preempt Local Rules
TL;DR: The May 20 deadline for EU Regulation 2024/1028 has officially passed, mandating platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com to share monthly activity data via Single Digital Entry Points across all 27 Member States. In Australia, a landmark May 20 AHURI report recommended severe restrictions on converting long-term homes into short-term rentals amid skyrocketing rents. In the US, Idaho's HB 583 and Indiana's HEA 1210 go into effect July 1, imposing sweeping state-level preemption laws that strip local governments of their ability to cap short-term rental density.
Mountainside NJ Pre-empts FIFA STR Surge, Sydney Eyes Suburb-Level Airbnb Ban, France Counts Down to Declaloc Deadline
TL;DR: Mountainside Borough, New Jersey introduced an ordinance banning all short-term rentals of 30 days or less, with fines up to $2,000 per day; next council meeting May 19, driven by proximity to MetLife Stadium ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The City of Sydney Council voted unanimously on April 28 to investigate suburb-level short-term rental bans across 11 inner-city suburbs, triggered by vacancy rates falling under 3 percent. France's Declaloc national registration portal goes live May 20 under loi Le Meur, with fines up to €20,000 for false declarations.
Vancouver Rejects Airbnb’s World Cup Push, Mexico City Rethinks Its Airbnb Law, Valencia Court Voids Tourist Housing Moratorium
TL'DR: Airbnb asked British Columbia to loosen short-term rental rules ahead of the FIFA World Cup, citing a 70,000-night accommodation shortfall in Vancouver; Premier David Eby publicly rejected the proposal. Mexico City officials confirmed they are reviewing the city's "Airbnb Law" amid concerns the regulations will deter hosts ahead of an estimated 274,000 tournament nights. The Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Comunitat Valenciana invalidated Valencia's two-year tourist housing moratorium on April 14; the Valencia City Council is studying an appeal to Spain's Supreme Court.
1 in 4 Approved NYC Airbnbs Now Operates Illegally: Approval Is Not the Finish Line
TL;DR NYC's Office of Special Enforcement now estimates 27% of approved short-term rental listings are operating outside Local Law 18's rules, up from 20% ten months ago. The gap is widening despite more inspections, more warning letters, and a $5 million lawsuit filed in April. The reason is structural. LL18 verifies registration at intake and stops there. California's SB 346 and EU Regulation 2024/1028 - both live in 2026 - reconcile platform activity against registration continuously. NYC has not built that loop.
Los Angeles Eyes Olympics Airbnb Deal, Santa Ana Court Voids Ban, Saratoga County Imposes Registry and Tax
TL;DR: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass's budget proposal pairs two Airbnb-backed short-term rental provisions ahead of the LA28 Olympics: a temporary program allowing second-home rentals through December 31, 2028, and Airbnb pre-payment of transient occupancy tax. An Orange County judge on April 20 voided Santa Ana's 2024 short-term rental ban for skipping the environmental review CEQA requires. Saratoga County, NY voted unanimously on April 21 to impose an occupancy tax, registry, and platform data-share — the first major upstate county to enact under New York's STR framework.
Nearly €1M in Paris Airbnb Fines in Three Months: Regulation Enforcement in France Gains Momentum
In the latest France Airbnb regulations news, Paris issued nearly €1M in illegal short-term rental fines in Q1 2026 alone, backed by a new 150-person enforcement brigade. Fueled by the strict Loi Le Meur, authorities are aggressively targeting corporate landlords with doubled penalties. Crucially, starting May 20, 2026, new EU data-sharing laws will force platforms to report listing activity automatically. For property managers, this means the era of flying under the radar is officially over.
Missouri Sides With Rental Owners, Sacramento Targets Non-Resident Hosts, Alabama City Sets Hard Cap
Missouri's Senate passed SB 1066 by 30-3 on March 25 to block commercial property tax reclassification of short-term rentals — a loophole some assessors have used to triple host tax bills — with a companion House bill passing April 2. Sacramento's Planning Commission backed a primary-residence requirement on March 12 that would eliminate over 75% of the city's active permits, with a full council vote pending. Decatur, Alabama launched its first short-term rental registration programme on April 1 with a 150-unit annual cap and a 90-day grace period before fines begin.
Houston Sets the Clock, DC Opens Hosting, Industry Builds an Advocacy Fund
Houston's short-term rental ordinance is enforced and at 83% compliance, with platforms given until January 1, 2027 to delist non-compliant hosts — just after 7 FIFA World Cup matches at NRG Stadium project $370M+ in visitor spending. In Washington DC, Mayor Bowser's March 13 bill would allow renters to host legally for the first time. The Right to Rent Collaborative has embedded a $2/reservation advocacy contribution into Track Hospitality's property management software, the first time this funding model has been built directly into a reservation workflow.
Survive the EU Short-Term Rental registration Deadline: What Managers Must Do Next
TL;DR: EU Regulation 2024/1028 standardizes short-term rental enforcement by May 20, 2026, though local rollouts vary. Here is a 4-phase operational guidebook professional property managers need to audit their PMS data, update owner liability contracts, and survive the new machine-to-machine SDEP audits.
The May 20 EU Data Deadline: Should Property Managers Expect Mass Delistings?
TL;DR: EU Regulation 2024/1028 ends the "honor system" for short-term rentals by forcing platforms to share monthly activity data with local governments. While the official compliance deadline is May 20, 2026, enforcement is already live in countries like Spain. To prevent automated delistings—which platforms must execute within 10 days of an order—property managers must urgently audit their PMS-to-OTA data parity and update owner contracts to shift financial liability for non-compliance.
Indiana Sides With Landlords, Pennsylvania Eyes Baseline Rules, Montréal Faces Event Crunch
Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed HEA 1210 on March 12, prohibiting cities from capping residential rental properties — effective July 1, 2026 — while giving Carmel and Fishers until January 2028 to comply. Pennsylvania introduced HB 2303 on March 19, the state’s first uniform short-term rental framework, with a first committee hearing on March 25. In Montréal, a seasonal hosting restriction leaves more than 26,000 accommodation nights unmet during the Formula 1 Grand Prix (May 22–24) and UCI World Cycling Championships (September 19–27), with over $19 million in projected lost visitor spending — and the mayor has acknowledged the bylaw isn’t working.
Croatia Signals Rental Limits, Maui Rejects Rezoning Lifeline, and Evanston Shifts to Discretion-Based Oversight
TL;DR- The Maui Planning Commission rejected rezoning categories that could have saved nearly 7,000 apartment-zoned rentals. Meanwhile, Croatia is considering rental caps amid housing pressure, and Evanston has shifted to discretionary oversight under a fixed supply ceiling.
Pittsburgh Moves Toward Licensing, Cape Town Tightens Enforcement, and Kentucky Bill Seeks to Override Local Rules
TL;DR- Pittsburgh is moving toward licensing, zoning approval, and unit caps; Cape Town is increasing enforcement on commercial-scale operators; and Kentucky may override local STR restrictions entirely.
Ireland Restricts Rentals in Towns Over 20,000, Saratoga Imposes Full Ban, and Bandon Freezes New Applications
TL;DR- Ireland will now restrict STRs in towns with over 20,000 residents, giving existing operators two years to comply, while introducing planning oversight. In the U.S., Saratoga is enacting a total ban, adding fines, and hiring a monitoring firm to scan platforms. Meanwhile, Bandon, Oregon has paused new permits for 120 days while it evaluates local housing impact.
Spain to Remove 86,000 Listings, Airbnb Reveals Early FIFA World Cup Trends, and Key Data parters with BookingsCloud
TL;DR- Spain is stepping up enforcement on short-term rentals, ordering 86,000 listings to be taken down for non-compliance with its STR registry. Meanwhile, Airbnb has shared early FIFA World Cup 2026 trends—families, groups, and international travelers are leading demand. Cities are seeing extended trip interest. Key Data and BookingsCloud have partnered to help property managers turn real-time market data into automated direct booking ad campaigns.
Booking.com Bets on Astrology, Greece Tightens Rules, and Hawaii Signals Risk to 10,000 Vacation Rentals
TL;DR- Booking.com taps astrologer Esperanza Gracia to match 2026 travel with zodiac signs, embracing identity-led travel. Meanwhile, Greece is enforcing stricter STR rules, removing properties from the registry in designated zones after ownership change. In Hawaii, the Governor proposed converting at least 10,000 STRs to long-term housing, though no statewide policy exists yet.
