Starting November 20, 2026, the international short-term rental platform Airbnb will introduce new rules for property owners that restrict their ability to require guests to perform household chores before checkout. Specifically, hosts will no longer be able to require guests to wash bed linens, wash dishes, or take out the trash.
According to an official statement from Airbnb, the new requirements will apply to all reservations made on or after November 20.
Under the platform’s updated policy, apartment and house owners must not assign to guests tasks typically performed by professional cleaners. Specifically, this includes removing bed linens from beds, running the washing machine, washing and putting away dishes, and taking trash outside the property.
At the same time, hosts will be able to set reasonable household requirements. For example, hosts are allowed to ask guests to leave used dishes in the sink, stack towels in one place, sort trash into designated bins inside the property, or turn off the air conditioner before checkout.
One of the key changes will be increased transparency regarding rental terms. All house rules must be listed in the listing before a reservation is made. Once a reservation is confirmed, hosts will not be allowed to impose additional requirements via messages, verbal agreements, or informational signs in the apartment.
Airbnb also prohibits hosts from imposing fines on guests on their own and from charging extra for the use of amenities that are already included in the property description. All mandatory fees for listed services must be included in the booking price.
In addition, the new policy restricts the ability to require guests to sign separate rental agreements or provide personal documents. Exceptions are made for cases required by law, long-term rentals of one month or longer, Airbnb Luxe listings, and certain additional services.
The company announced that hosts will be able to use seven standard categories of stay policies. These will cover the maximum number of guests, noise restrictions, hosting events, pets, smoking, commercial photography and videography, and the requirement to lock the property when guests are away.
Airbnb has established a phased system of restrictions for violations of the new requirements. Initially, hosts will be asked to adjust their rental terms and may receive a warning. If violations persist, a corresponding notice may appear in the listing for potential guests, and the property itself may drop in the platform’s search rankings. In more serious cases, other sanctions may be imposed in accordance with the terms of service.
At the same time, Airbnb allows for individual exceptions based on local circumstances. For example, in regions with water shortages, hosts may ask guests to limit their water usage, and in areas inhabited by wildlife, guests may be asked to dispose of trash in specially designated containers.
Airbnb is an American international online platform for short-term housing rentals, founded in 2008. The service connects owners of apartments, houses, and other accommodations with tourists and travelers around the world.
AIRBNB, housing rentals, INVESTMENT, REAL ESTATE, short-term rentals, TOURISM
The European Commission is developing a new legislative framework that will allow national, regional, and municipal authorities to restrict short-term housing rentals in areas facing particularly sharp price increases and a shortage of apartments for permanent residents.
The initiative will be part of the future European Affordable Housing Act, which the European Commission plans to present in 2026. The document is intended to help authorities identify areas under housing pressure based on publicly available statistical data and take measures commensurate with the scale of the problem.
This does not mean a blanket ban on Airbnb, Booking.com, or other services across the entire European Union. The European Commission intends to create a legal framework within which cities and regions can independently regulate short-term rentals without violating the rules of the single European market.
In particular, municipalities should be given greater legal certainty when imposing restrictions in areas where tourist rentals reduce the housing supply for local residents. Possible measures will be determined taking into account the local situation, the interests of the tourism sector, and the principle of proportionality.
During the consultations, representatives of cities and regions called on the European Commission to develop a list of tools compatible with EU legislation. They also emphasized the need to take into account the differences between major tourist centers, small towns, and rural areas.
The drafting of the Affordable Housing Act is proceeding in parallel with the implementation of previously approved EU rules on the collection of information regarding short-term rentals. EU Regulation No. 2024/1028 will take effect on May 20, 2026. It provides for the creation of digital registration systems for landlords and the exchange of data between platforms and government agencies.
In countries that implement such registration, property owners must obtain a unique property number and include it in their listings. Online platforms are required to display and verify these numbers, conduct random checks, and remove listings at the request of authorities if they do not comply with established rules.
Platforms must also submit monthly data on the number of guests and booked nights via a single national digital gateway. This will allow municipalities to assess the actual scale of short-term rentals and make data-driven decisions.
However, the current regulation primarily governs registration and the exchange of information. It does not, in and of itself, establish EU-wide limits on the number of apartments available for rent or the permitted number of nights.
According to the European Commission, short-term rentals already account for about a quarter of all tourist accommodation supply in the EU.
In 2025, 951.6 million guest nights were booked through Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, and other major online platforms. Compared to 2024, this figure increased by 11.4%.
The European Commission acknowledges that this market generates income for property owners, expands options for tourists, and supports local businesses. At the same time, the high concentration of short-term rentals in historic centers and popular resorts may reduce the supply of apartments for permanent residence and contribute to rising prices.
According to the European Affordable Housing Plan, the number of short-term rental bookings through the largest platforms increased by more than 90% between 2018 and 2024. Professional operators account for more than 45% of listings, even though they represent a minority of property owners.
Once the new legislation is adopted, the rules will depend not only on the country but also on the situation in a specific city or district. In tourist destinations with a housing shortage, local authorities will potentially be able to impose stricter requirements regarding registration, licensing, and rental duration. In regions where there is a shortage of tourist accommodations and short-term rentals support the local economy, restrictions may be significantly fewer.
Airbnb is transitioning hosts to a new service fee model: instead of the previous structure, under which hosts typically paid about 3% and guests paid a separate service fee, the platform is introducing a single commission for hosts.
Now, most hosts will pay 15.5% of the booking price. Airbnb explains this as a move to make pricing more transparent: guests will see the total cost without a separate service fee on top.
For hosts, this means they’ll need to adjust their prices. If they don’t change their rates, their net payout will decrease. According to Airbnb’s example, for a $100 booking, a host will receive $84.50 after the commission is deducted.
The transition is taking place in phases. For hosts outside the European Economic Area, the deadline for adjusting prices is September 15; for hosts within the EEA, it is October 13.
For the short-term rental market, this will increase pressure on property owners and management companies: they will have to recalculate rates, discounts, and financial models.
Demand for short-term housing rentals in the EU through online platforms continued to grow in early 2026. From January through March, guests spent 144.3 million nights in short-term accommodations booked through Airbnb, Booking, or Expedia. This is 9.7% more than in the first quarter of 2025 and 16.6% higher than in the first quarter of 2024, Eurostat reported on July 2.
Malta showed the fastest growth—up 30.5% year-over-year. It was followed by Slovenia—up 24.7%, Slovakia—up 23.5%, and Cyprus—up 22.3%. Double-digit growth was also recorded in Finland, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Croatia, Greece, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Among the EU’s largest tourism markets, all seven of the most-visited countries also showed growth. Germany saw a 14.9% increase, Italy 14.7%, Poland 11.9%, France 8.1%, Spain 6.5%, Portugal 4.9%, and Austria 4%. This means that the market is growing not only in small countries with a low baseline but also in major tourism economies.
Eurostat clarifies that these figures specifically refer to guest nights in short-term accommodations booked through platforms, rather than hotels and campgrounds. For example, if a family of four stays in an apartment for three nights, this counts as 12 guest nights. The data is published as experimental statistics and is based on information that the platforms report directly to Eurostat.
Regional statistics are published with a delay. According to data for the fourth quarter of 2025, the most popular regions for short-term rentals through these platforms were Andalusia in Spain—9.9 million nights, the Canary Islands—8.2 million, and Île-de-France in France—7.2 million. Only regions from three countries—Spain, France, and Italy—made it into the top ten.
For investors, these statistics mean that focusing solely on overall market growth is no longer sufficient. It is necessary to take into account the specific country, city, seasonality, local restrictions on Airbnb and Booking, taxes, registration rules, and competition from hotels. In Europe, short-term rentals continue to grow, but are becoming an increasingly regulated and professional business.
According to Serbian Economist, Albania is stepping up tax oversight of the short-term rental market, which has become one of the country’s fastest-growing segments of the tourism real estate sector in recent years. The tax administration has launched a sectoral plan for the tourism sector through 2026, under which the activity of property owners on Airbnb, Booking.com, and other platforms will be cross-checked against tax returns.
In essence, Albania is becoming one of the first countries in Europe to transition tax oversight of short-term rentals via digital platforms to an automated format using artificial intelligence. This makes the country a regional test case for stricter control over revenue from tourism real estate.
The main tool of the new control system will be an AI-based automated monitoring system. Algorithms will scan the Albanian segments of Airbnb and Booking on a weekly basis, analyzing nightly rates, price trends, actual occupancy rates, booking calendars, as well as the number and dates of guest reviews.
Private homeowners renting out one or more apartments through Airbnb and Booking are not required to register as sole proprietors, but must file an annual individual DIVA tax return and pay income tax at a rate of 15%. The tax is calculated on net income after deducting the platform’s commission. Separate clarifications regarding new obligations for short-term rentals starting in 2026 also highlight the use of DIVA as a digital system for reporting individual income.
The authorities are paying special attention to VAT. In Albania’s tourism sector, a reduced rate of 6% applies instead of the standard 20%, but it may only be applied by properties that have passed a physical inspection and received an official classification certificate from the Ministry of Tourism. If an owner applies the 6% rate without such a certificate, the tax authority may retroactively assess VAT at the full 20% rate, along with fines and penalties.
Another requirement concerns cashless payments. By May 30, 2026, all accommodation facilities in Albania, including hotels, hostels, campgrounds, and certified guesthouses, must install physical POS terminals to accept payments. At the same time, the limit on cash transactions between commercial entities has been reduced from 150,000 to 100,000 lek.
For the real estate market, this marks the end of a period of lax oversight of income from short-term rentals. In recent years, Albania has experienced an investment boom in resort real estate, particularly along the coast, where buyers have relied on income from tourist rentals.
But now, the profitability of such properties will increasingly depend not only on occupancy and price, but also on the owner’s tax compliance.
For foreign investors, the new rules mean they must consider the property’s tax model in advance.
The Albanian model reflects a broader trend in the region. Montenegro is also tightening control over payments and taxes in the real estate and tourism sectors, but Albania is taking the next step—using digital monitoring and AI to compare actual activity on platforms with tax reporting.
Revenues for Airbnb hosts in Albania reached a record €40 million in 2024, confirming the continued growth of the short-term rental market in the country. This was reported by the Albanian General Directorate of Taxes, whose data is cited by Albanian media.
According to the tax administration, from January to December 2024, more than 8,472 individuals and companies operated through the Airbnb platform in Albania, and the total volume of bookings amounted to 3.816 billion lek, equivalent to approximately 40 million euros. Commissions paid to the platform itself amounted to 167.6 million lek, or about 1.7 million euros.
Against this backdrop, tax authorities reminded property owners of the need to declare their income through the DIVA system. A 15% tax rate applies to such income, and the deadline for filing the declaration is set for March 31, 2026. The tax service separately emphasized that it already has data on bookings and income received directly from Airbnb, so failure to declare could lead to audits and fines.
The growth in Airbnb income reflects a broader trend of residential real estate in Albania becoming an investment asset, particularly in coastal cities and tourist destinations. Against this backdrop, the short-term rental market is becoming an increasingly significant part of the country’s tourism economy and, at the same time, the subject of heightened tax scrutiny.
