Global Regulatory Notes (22)

SPAIN

Apartments rented to tourists will carry a 10% tax under a housing package that Spain's parliament approved on November 12 by a 35 to 34 vote in its 69-member interim body, a day after a nationwide general strike demanded a crackdown on tourist homes. A Consumer Affairs Ministry review of listings in 53 cities also found temporary contracts made up 15.5% of 199,775 entire-home ads as an October decree requires landlords to justify such tenancies.

The package could still be reversed after the November 29 general election since the People's Party which leads the polls has pledged to repeal it.

CROATIA

Providers without a digital registration number would be barred from advertising on online platforms under the Hospitality Activity Act, now sent to Parliament for a second reading, as Minister Tonči Glavina warned that platforms ignoring the rules would face severe penalties. The law transposes an EU regulation and covers an estimated 60,000 short-term rental units.

Iznajmljivačima za svaku smještajnu jedinicu treba registracijski broj

Vlada novim Zakonom o ugostiteljskoj djelatnosti najavljuje odlučniji obračun s neregistriranim iznajmljivanjem i sivom ekonomijom, uz stroži nadzor, veće kazne i registracijske brojeve za smještajne jedinice. Iako se promjene predstavljaju kao način uvođenja reda na turističkom tržištu i zaštite legalnih iznajmljivača, novi propisi otvaraju i brojna pitanja o budućnosti privatnog smještaja.

HRT

Customs officers and municipal wardens would join the State Inspectorate in oversight while inspectors could covertly monitor online classifieds with all fine revenue going to local and regional budgets.

GREECE

Councils could raise the municipal stayover levy to as much as 1% of a booking's value up from the current 0.75% ceiling under a plan Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis presented to the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece that needs new legislation. The levy and 13% VAT have applied since January 1, 2024 to short-term rentals run by companies or by owners of three or more properties.

Tourism confederation SETE opposed the rise on November 6 as the Panhellenic Hoteliers Federation noted short-term rentals pay about 8% of levy revenue against roughly 92.6% from hotels.

ENGLAND

The Visitor Levy (England) Bill had its first reading in the House of Commons on November 4, letting mayors and other strategic authorities charge a percentage of the pre-VAT price of overnight stays including short-term rentals and holiday lets with no national cap on the rate. Stays over 28 days, care homes, student housing and shelters are exempt while fraudulent evasion could bring up to 14 years in prison.

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Ten mayors have pledged to keep any levy at 5% or below and each authority must consult on a draft prospectus first.

HIGHLAND, SCOTLAND

Planning permission will be needed to turn homes into secondary short-term lets across most of the region from April 1, 2027 after councillors approved two new short-term let control areas on November 12 following sign-off by Scottish Ministers. The Inverness City zone covers four Inverness wards and parts of Inverness South while the Highland Rural zone spans Lochaber, Skye and Raasay, Sutherland, Aird and Loch Ness and more.

New Short Term Let Control Areas to come into force on 1 April 2027 – Highland Council

The Highland Council has agreed to introduce Short Term Let Control Areas (STLCA) for Inverness City and Highland Rural from 1 April 2027.

Highland CouncilThe Highland Council, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5NX, +44(0)1349 886606, service.pointhighland.gov.uk

Existing operators can continue under current arrangements because the zones are not retrospective. A public consultation drew more than 800 responses with 84% backing the Inverness zone.

BRACEBRIDGE, ONTARIO, CA

Unlicensed short-term rental operators face fines of $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for a second and $1,500 for a third after the town's general committee approved amendments to the short-term rental bylaw on November 3 that introduce its first administrative monetary penalty system and ban advertising without a valid license.

Required liability insurance rises from $2 million to $5 million while applicants must prove they own or may use any abutting shore road allowance. Staff reported 145 license applications and 52 active licenses against about 303 Airbnb and 100 VRBO listings.

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

Penalties on illegal Airbnb rentals could bring in up to €6 million by the end of the year as the Brussels-Capital Region estimates its fine collections after recovering at least €5 million through inspections in 2025 and 2026 with noncompliant owners charged €1,000 per rental plus unpaid tourist tax.

From January 1, 2027, rentals within a primary residence will no longer need urban planning certification and co-owners will lose the power to sign off on a rental while owners must still register and pay the €5 nightly tourist tax under changes announced by Minister-President Boris Dilliès.

NOOSA SHIRE, QUEENSLAND, AU

Owners of a unit in a six-unit Noosa Heads complex asked the Planning and Environment Court to declare short-term accommodation lawful for the whole building or at least their unit, arguing that a 1973 town-planning scheme allowing multiple dwellings without council consent never separated short and long stays and that those use rights survived later planning laws.

Noosa Heads apartment owners ask Planning Court to confirm short-stay rights | Gold Coast & SEQ Property News | GC Prestige

Owners of a unit at Pisces Noosa, 7 Peza Court, Noosa Heads, have asked the Planning and Environment Court to declare short-term accommodation lawful at the 1980s complex, with a hearing planned for February 2027.

GC PrestigeGC Prestige

The case followed Noosa Shire Council declaring their short-stay application lapsed in January 2025 with a hearing date is expected to be set on December 11 ahead of a two-day hearing planned for February 2027.

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

Forty-seven hospitality, cultural and events leaders urged the municipal government to suspend planned tourist tax increases that would lift the rate on overnight stays from 12.5% to 16% in 2027 and 20% by 2031, in a letter made public on November 9 that argues visitors may stay overnight elsewhere and still visit by day.

They asked for research into the economic impact before the 2027 rise as hotels already pay the national 21% VAT rate on accommodation introduced at the start of 2026. Mayor Femke Halsema has said visitor numbers need to fall even if hospitality takes a hit.

MALTA

ADPD demanded the release of an eco-tax agreement on November 9, a day after reports showed the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association signed it with the Malta Tourism Authority in April to help collect the tourism eco-tax, and wants the announced €10 nightly charge on short-term rentals and €8 hotel charge sent to local councils.

Environmental Contribution — Malta Tourism Authority

The environmental contribution on licensable accommodation — rate, cap and guidelines.

Malta Tourism Authority

Chairperson Sandra Gauci said councils have received none of their promised share of the €1.50 contribution and that a hoteliers' lobby administering a tax its members collect raises conflicts of interest.

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Global Regulatory Notes (21)

Global STR rules shift. Ireland sets €5,000 fines; Italy keeps 26% STR tax; UK raises rental tax to 24%; Albania weighs VAT hike; Malaysia drafts rules; Malta lifts short-let tax; Glasgow, Scotland; Cape Town, South Africa eyes rates; EU court backs permits; Sri Lanka weighs register. READ MORE.

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Global Regulatory Notes (20)

Cities address STRs. Western Australia weighs strata vote; Spain adds 10% VAT; Norway sets 3% charge; Finland drafts tax; Canary Islands, Spain rejects bill; Bowen Island, BC adopts 3% tax; Budapest, Hungary backs ban; Barcelona, Spain advances surcharge; Oro-Medonte, ON; Ibiza, Spain. READ MORE.

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Global Regulatory Notes (19)

Cities address STRs. Vietnam fines rentals; Romania drafts registry; Oro-Medonte, ON extends deadline; Whitehorse, YT delays licensing; East Kootenay, BC weighs density; Wales pauses levy; Bali, Indonesia logs 5,000 permits; Greece audits hosts; Prague, Czech Republic; Ghaziabad, India. READ MORE.

Strisker - Short-Term Rental and Data Center regulationsJas Albatana

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Trying to keep up with the main players in the STR and Data Center game? Know your council members, commissioners, committee chairs, and key staff that are part of the process.

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