Last updated: October 2026
Rules last verified 15 October 2026
New short-let rules land somewhere in the world almost every week: registers opening, fines published, tax surcharges voted through. This page tracks them country by country, with key dates and fine levels, and links to the full guide where one exists. The thread running through all of them: compliance costs are fixed, so the platform commission is the one cost you can still cut.
| Country | Status | Key date / rule | Fines | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | Coming | Mandatory national register expected March 2027 | Not published yet | Guide |
| Wales | Coming | All visitor accommodation must register by 31 March 2027 | £100 to £1,400 | Guide |
| Scotland | In force | Licensing scheme already operating | Up to £2,500 unlicensed | Guide |
| Ireland | Coming | National register opens 1 December 2026 | Not published yet | Guide |
| Spain | In force | National register scrapped May 2026; regional licences apply; 10% VAT from 1 Dec 2026 | Varies by region | Guide |
| Italy | In force | CIN national ID mandatory since Jan 2025 | €800–€8,000 no CIN; €500–€5,000 not displayed | Guide |
| France (French Riviera) | In force | Loi Le Meur: national registration from 20 May 2026; 120 → 90 days/year cap in pressure zones (Paris since Jan 2025) | Up to €100,000 (change of use); €10,000 no registration | France rules guide |
| Greece | In force | Law 5170/2025: AMA registration mandatory; Athens freeze to 31 Dec 2026; safety kit + insurance | From €5,000 (50% of gross, min) | Greece rules guide |
| Turkey | Proposed | Law 7464: rentals under 100 days need a tourism permit; unanimous building consent; Aug 2026 bill caps OTA commission at 17% | 100,000–1,000,000 TRY | See Turkey section below |
Key dates and fine levels above come from the issuing authorities. Verify the current position before acting, as rules change frequently:
Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey sources are linked from their individual country guides above.
Turkey's Tourism Rental Law No. 7464 classifies any residential rental of 100 days or fewer as a tourism rental. Before listing on Airbnb or Booking.com, owners must obtain a Tourism Rental Permit Certificate (İzin Belgesi) from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, display an official government plaque at the entryway, and register every guest in the police identity system (KBS).
The hardest gate is the building: in a standard apartment block, the permit requires notarised unanimous consent from every unit owner. One refusal blocks the whole application. Operating without a permit draws administrative fines from 100,000 to 1,000,000 TRY, with premises closure for continued non-compliance.
A bill submitted to parliament in August 2026 would add a second layer: foreign accommodation platforms (Booking.com, Airbnb) would need a two-year government permit costing 5 million TRY, and platform commission would be capped at 17% of the pre-tax price. Platforms would also be barred from forcing price parity or punishing hosts who offer cheaper direct rates. Status: proposed, not yet law. The same bill would clear Booking.com to fully return to the Turkish market after a nine-year absence.
Turkey sources: GARS Consulting: Law 7464 guide (permit, consent, fines); Real Estate All Turkey: fines tiers and permit process; Mondaq: short-term tourism rentals 2026; Turkish Minute: platform permit bill (Oct 2026).
Three things keep repeating. First, registration is becoming the norm: a national number you must show on every listing. Second, the fines are not symbolic: €15,000 in the French Riviera, €8,000 in Italy, £2,500 in Scotland. Third, the taxman always follows the register: Spain adds 10% VAT in December 2026, Italy taxes multi-property hosts at 26%.
Every one of these is a fixed cost. The licence fee, the safety hardware, the accountant's hours: you pay them whether the guest booked on Booking.com or on your own site. That is why the variable cost matters so much. A 15% platform commission on every booking, forever, is the one line on the bill you can actually erase. Our Booking.com commission guide works out what it costs per year, and what moving even a third of bookings direct saves.
Scotland already licenses short lets. Italy requires the CIN national ID since January 2025. England expects a mandatory register from March 2027, Wales requires registration by 31 March 2027, and Ireland opens its register on 1 December 2026. Spain scrapped its national register in 2026, but regional licences still apply.
Scotland: up to £2,500 for operating without a licence. Italy: €800 to €8,000 for no CIN, €500 to €5,000 for not displaying it. French Riviera: up to €15,000 for breaching the day cap. Fines for England and Ireland have not been published yet. Wales has tiered fines of £100 to £1,400 per premises.
Yes. Registration fees, safety upgrades and paperwork are fixed costs regardless of where the booking comes from. The platform commission, around 15%, is the variable cost you can cut, and a direct booking website is how you cut it.
Rules change weekly across countries. This page is reviewed continuously and each country guide carries its own last-verified date. The overview above was last verified on 15 October 2026.
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Last checked: 15 October 2026. General guidance only, not legal or tax advice. Confirm registration, fine and tax details with the relevant national or regional authority and your tax adviser.