Short-term rentals: the EU proposal that could also affect Como
Presented on 9 September 2026, the Affordable Housing Act (COM(2026) 599 final) creates a European framework for limiting tourist rentals in areas under housing stress. A Sole 24 Ore analysis names Como among the twenty Italian cities potentially concerned. Here is what the text really says.
Translated from the Italian original. Leggi in italiano
On 9 September 2026 the European Commission presented the Affordable Housing Act, the draft regulation identified as COM(2026) 599 final, accompanied by Recommendation (EU) 2026/2069 on housing supply. The stated aim is to give a common legal basis to the measures through which states, regions and local authorities tackle housing pressure in tourist zones and metropolitan areas.
Care is needed, however, over what the text does and does not do. The proposal introduces no European bans on short-term rentals, imposes no rent caps and grants no automatic new powers to municipalities: it sets the conditions under which restrictions already provided for by national law can be justified under EU law. For now it remains only a proposal: it must be examined and approved by the European Parliament and the Council.
Areas under housing stress
At the heart of the mechanism is the definition of areas under housing stress. An area qualifies when the average price of a medium-sized home is at least eight times the median disposable income of residents, the ratio has worsened over the past ten years and is not expected to improve in the next three. With a ratio of ten or more, the ten-year growth requirement falls away.
Only within these areas could the competent authorities introduce limits on short-term rentals, and only by demonstrating a significant negative impact on the availability or affordability of housing for at least three years, with proportionate measures and after verifying that less restrictive tools would not suffice.
Como among the twenty cities watched
An analysis by Sole 24 Ore, reported by the JLC News portal, identified some twenty Italian cities that could present characteristics compatible with the Commission's criteria: the examples cited include Rome, Milan, Salerno, Como, Pisa and Rimini. This is not an official European Union list, nor are these municipalities automatically subject to new limits: local assessments, documented data and specific measures by the competent authorities would be required.
For Lake Como, where the short-term rental market already shows signs of saturation and several communes have introduced stricter rules, the proposal opens a scenario to watch closely: in time, it could give legal cover to local restrictions that today risk litigation.
What stays the same
Nothing changes immediately. The CIN, the national identification code, remains mandatory, and since 20 May 2026 Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 has required transparency: registration of accommodation, an identification code and transmission of data to the authorities via the platforms. On the tax front, the flat-rate tax on short-term rentals stays at 21% on the first property and rises to 26% on the second.
Political reactions were swift. While EU Housing Commissioner Dan Jorgensen acknowledged the proposal's limits, admitting the road to solving the problems is still long, Italy's centre-right has promised a battle in the European Parliament: Fratelli d'Italia accuses the Commission of compressing property rights, while the Lega warns with the slogan 'hands off our homes'.
