Regulation (EU) 2024/1028: What short-term rental hosts need to know

Kristo Daud

In recent years the short-term rental market (Airbnb, Booking and other platforms) has grown extremely quickly across Europe. This has created new opportunities for hosts, but also challenges for institutions in regulating and monitoring the sector.

That is why the European Union adopted Regulation (EU) 2024/1028, which introduces new rules on the collection and sharing of short-term rental data.

The regulation will start to apply from 20 May 2026 and will affect both accommodation platforms and hosts.

What the regulation aims to do

The main objective of Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 is to create greater transparency in the short-term rental market.

This will be achieved through a standardised system for:

• collecting rental data
• verifying property information
• sharing data between platforms and public institutions

This will make it easier for local authorities to monitor the market and enforce local regulations.

What this regulation does NOT do

It is important to note that the new regulation does not introduce common rules for short-term rentals across Europe.

It does NOT:

• introduce a common European licence for short-term rentals
• determine where short-term rentals are permitted
• impose a limit on the number of nights

These decisions remain within the competence of local and national authorities.

The regulation only creates a single data collection system that will help enforce the rules that already exist.

The main changes by May 2026

1. A single registration system

If a country requires properties to be registered for short-term letting, that system must be:

• digital
• standardised
• compatible with European systems

Each property will have a unique registration number that will be used on booking platforms.

2. A national digital portal

Every EU Member State must set up a central digital portal through which platforms will submit short-term rental information.

This portal will serve as a single point of access to the data for public institutions.

3. New obligations for platforms

Platforms such as Airbnb and Booking will have to:

• collect information about hosts and properties
• verify properties’ registration numbers
• display the registration number in listings
• share data on the property’s activity with public institutions

This will make the market more transparent and easier to monitor.

What this means for hosts

For hosts and property managers, the new rules mean:

• greater market transparency
• mandatory registration numbers in many countries
• stricter checks by the platforms
• more difficulty operating unregulated rentals

If false information is provided, the authorities may deactivate the registration number or have the listing removed from the platforms.

Conclusion

Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 does not directly change the rules on short-term rentals, but it creates a European data collection system that will allow countries to monitor and regulate this market more easily.

From May 2026, platforms, hosts and institutions will all need to operate within this new framework.