Gov’t planning restrictions on owners of short-term rentals

The government is considering introducing restrictions on the utilization of properties advertised on short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and HomeAway for holiday accommodation. The restrictions will be imposed on individual owners as well as investors and professional agents who benefit from the new market.

A joint committee made up of officials from the ministries of Economy, Finance, Labor and Tourism will draft the ministerial decision that will determine the maximum number of overnight stays per year per property, a clearly determined number of properties utilized per taxpayer or company, and specific income limits.

The issue of short-term rentals was on the agenda of last week's cabinet meeting, during which the government decided to set up the above committee due to their huge growth - turnover approached 2 billion euros in 2018 - which has had negative...