Short-term rental rules in Europe, country by country

Registration, licences, night caps and city freezes: what owners must know before letting a home on Airbnb or Booking, in 40 European countries.

Across Europe, short-term letting is no longer a grey zone: since 20 May 2026 the EU short-term rental regulation (2024/1028) requires platforms to show a registration number wherever a country, region or city runs a registration scheme, and to share activity data with the authorities. On top of that, each country keeps its own rules, and many cities add their own: night caps, licences, freezes on new permits, or a main-home-only rule.

This page gathers, country by country, what an owner needs to know before listing a flat or a house on Airbnb or Booking. Each country page summarises the national law with dated sources, explains who decides what between the state, the regions and the cities, lists the cities that are open, regulated or closed, and gives our practical advice. Outside the EU (United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, the Balkans, Georgia, Türkiye) the EU regulation does not apply, and national rules are all that count.

Hexuvium was founded in Brussels in 2015 and manages short-term rentals for owners. Wherever you are, send us your property: we study every request, check the rules for your exact address and tell you honestly whether and how we can help.

Countries

In short, per country

United Kingdom

The UK splits short-let rules between four nations: England awaits a register, Scotland licenses every host, Wales opens a register and London caps nights.

Ireland

Ireland treats the whole country as a Rent Pressure Zone, requires planning permission for most short lets and opens a national register in December 2026.