Global Regulatory Notes (9)
Hobart, TAS' STR application fee hike; Whitsunday, QLD seeks input for STR amendments; Centre Wellington, ON approved 5% MAT; Guelph/Eramosa, ON examines amendment & licensing; Owen Sound, ON; Saanich, BC; Sarnia, ON; Athens, Greece; Italy; Vigo, Spain; Uzbekistan; Powys, Wales; READ MORE.
🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA
Hobart, Tasmania
A 1,000% fee hike for short-stay accommodation applications cleared Hobart City Council on April 28 in a narrow 6-5 vote, lifting the discretionary change-of-use permit from $435 to $5,000.
Taking effect July 1, 2026, the measure targets discretionary applications only as Tasmanian law caps permitted fees at $250. The Housing Industry Association has flagged plans for state-level intervention.
Whitsunday, Queensland
Whitsunday Regional Council is seeking public input on amendments to Subordinate Local Law No. 1 (Administration) 2014 that would tighten short-term rental compliance requirements region-wide. Proposed updates would clarify which accommodation types are exempt from STA licensing and require licence numbers to be listed on booking platforms.
Residents can respond through an online survey, giving the community a formal role in shaping local STR policy.
🇨🇦 CANADA
Centre Wellington, Ontario
A 5% Municipal Accommodation Tax will take effect in Centre Wellington on September 1, 2026 following a bylaw being passed at a recent council meeting. The tax applies to hotels, motels, and short-term rentals including pre-existing bookings for stays after that date.
Revenue will fund destination marketing, visitor services, and local infrastructure through a newly created Municipal Service Corporation. CAO Dan Wilson noted the rate aligns with comparable Ontario municipalities and sits slightly above the provincial average.
Guelph/Eramosa, Ontario
Short-term rentals could soon be permitted in Guelph/Eramosa's agricultural and rural residential zones after council directed staff on April 28, 2026 to examine a zoning bylaw amendment and a corresponding licensing framework. The Ontario township currently prohibits STRs altogether so the licensed bed and breakfasts and long-term rentals are the only permitted alternatives.
Mayor Chris White described the initiative as part of a broader push to expand farm income opportunities and strengthen rural economic development.
Owen Sound, Ontario
Amendments to Owen Sound's Short-Term Rental Licensing By-law expand the permitted rental window for private residences from 180 to 240 nights annually. Council also approved a new C1 licence category for non-primary residences in the downtown commercial zone, carrying no nightly limit.
A new online application portal streamlines the licensing process but in-person and mail payment options are still available at City Hall. Annual licence fees are set at $500 for private residences and B&Bs and $750 for commercial operators.
Short-Term Rental Licence Application in Owen Sound
Saanich, British Columbia
In a 5-4 vote, Saanich council directed staff to draft short-term rental bylaws modelled on Victoria's framework that will permit up to 160 nights per year in a host's principal dwelling. Operators would need a business licence, and rentals in secondary or garden suites would remain prohibited.
Saanich leans toward Victoria-style short-term rental policy https://t.co/E3ca1aqvoZ
— Times Colonist (@timescolonist) April 29, 2026
Despite a blanket STR ban, over 500 listings continue operating in Saanich. The draft bylaws follow B.C.'s 2023 Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act and the council report is expected in the coming months.
District of Saanich's Zoning Bylaw 8200
Before Saanich’s move toward a Victoria-style STR framework, zoning bylaws like Zone 8200 defined strict limits on residential use.
Sarnia, Ontario
A lapsed financial accountability agreement is prompting Sarnia council to reconsider its relationship with Tourism Sarnia-Lambton (TSL) and review its Municipal Accommodation Tax framework.
The discussion centered on Tourism Sarnia-Lambton and the collection and use of Sarnia’s MAT tax revenue. Councillor Dennis noted that the MAT tax applies not only to hotels, but also to Airbnbs and bed-and-breakfasts. He argued that the city should reassess how its tourism-related funds are being allocated.
Introduced by bylaw in early 2020, the MAT which applies to hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts has its collected funds partially directed to TSL for tourism promotion. Mayor Mike Bradley is advocating for a one-year extension given TSL's ongoing leadership transition.
🇬🇷 ATHENS, GREECE
Citing a surge in short-term rental properties that has more than doubled overnight stays in Plaka since 2018, Mayor Haris Doukas has proposed a permanent ban in Athens' historic center on all new tourism development including STRs, hotels, and serviced apartments. The proposal was put forward on April 26, 2026 through a tourism land-use bill currently under legislative discussion.
Alongside the Plaka ban, Athens is separately considering nightly caps on STR platforms to align short-term rentals with hotel-equivalent rules and ease pressure in high-demand districts.
🇮🇹 ITALY
Italy's CIN (National Identification Code) requirement is now fully in effect in 2026 and compels short-term rental hosts to register their properties with the government and display the assigned code on all listings. One provision of mandatory exterior display on buildings has generated legal and privacy disputes among hosts and condominium associations.
Enforcement is being carried out by Italy's Guardia di Finanza through a coordinated plan of on-site inspections and cross-referencing of rental data from multiple databases.
🇪🇸 VIGO, SPAIN
Starting October 2026, Vigo's local government will begin collecting a nightly tourist tax across all accommodation types with rates scaling from €0.80 at hostels and rural stays to €2 at four and five-star hotels. Short-term rentals fall under the mid-tier rate of €1.60 per night while cruise passengers will be subject to a €1.20 charge beginning July 2027.
Through June 2027, the tax applies only to the first two nights per visit then expanding to five nights thereafter. The measure aligns Vigo with broader Spanish and European efforts to manage overtourism following Barcelona's April 2026 rate increase and similar levies across France, Italy, and the Netherlands.
🇺🇿 UZBEKISTAN
On measures for the digitalization of the tourism sector and the integration of tourism services into a unified platform.
- Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, от 07.12.2024 г. № 820
A draft resolution published by Uzbekistan's Tax Committee proposes bringing tourist dachas under formal state oversight through a centralized online registry. The registry would list all short-term rental properties and track service prices in real time via the Soliq mobile app while there will also be a full inventory of accommodation facilities due by end of 2026.
No separate licenses or tourist tax would be required for holiday home operators. Compliance will be monitored through local neighborhood leadership and residents who report unregistered rentals will receive 30% of any collected fine. Public consultation closes May 7.
🏴 POWYS, WALES
Powys Council is set to become the first Welsh local authority to waive the 75% premium on backdated council tax bills for holiday let operators with pending full council approval in May. The measure has estimated cost up to £1 million and covers the period from April 2023 when Wales raised its business rates threshold to 252 days of availability and 182 days of actual letting annually.
Operators who failed to meet the new threshold were reclassified to council tax with premiums up to 200%. This left some facing backdated bills in the tens of thousands.
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