Many myths have appeared around the EU regulation on short-term rentals, which comes into force in May 2026. Headlines warn about immediate, severe penalties and an overnight revolution on Booking or Airbnb. The reality is much calmer: the Polish legislator did not manage to adopt the national act on time, which means there is no reason to panic. However, this is the right time to prepare for the key moment expected this autumn, when the regulations related to CWTON are planned to come into force. In this article, we explain the planned changes and the obligations they may create for owners and property managers.
What will change in short-term rentals in 2026?
Short-term rentals in 2026 are expected to be subject to more detailed regulations than before. The changes result from EU Regulation 2024/1028 and draft Polish acts concerning the accommodation services market.
With the new short-term rental regulations, the administration wants to gain access to data on apartments rented to tourists and reduce situations in which properties operate in the grey market: anonymously, without being reported to the municipality, without paying taxes and outside official control. The aim is also to create fairer conditions for owners who pay taxes and run their business in line with local government requirements.
Short-term rentals from 20 May 2026, do owners already need to register apartments?
From 20 May 2026, the EU regulation on short-term rentals applies, but contrary to some headlines, nothing operational changes for now. Poland is still in a transitional period, as the legislator is still working on implementing the EU regulation. Owners should prepare for mandatory registration, check the local register in their municipality and organise documents related to the property. However, this date should not be treated as the full launch of the Central Register of Tourist Accommodation Facilities (CWTON) or the immediate application of all penalties provided for in draft acts. Full implementation of CWTON and the related regulations is planned for October 2026.
Booking and Airbnb versus the new regulations in 2026, what will change for apartment owners?
A large part of the market currently operates through platforms such as Airbnb or Booking.com. Once the new regulations come into force, their role is expected to change. Platforms are to be required to provide certain data to administrative authorities and to verify the legality of offers published by users.
In practice, an apartment owner may not be able to add a listing without the property identification number, or such listings may be removed. Platforms will also be required to respond to reports of irregularities and remove offers that do not meet the requirements.
Consent of the housing community for short-term rentals, will it be required?
The topic of housing communities is also causing a lot of discussion. The drafts include solutions that may increase the influence of building residents on the operation of short-term rentals.
Currently, a housing community can react when there are disturbances of order or damage to common areas. A complete ban on renting apartments by the day often leads to legal disputes. Meanwhile, the draft new short-term rental regulations provide for the possibility of making a change in the use of a unit dependent on the consent of the housing community expressed in the form of a resolution.
Property registration and identification number, what will the new obligations involve?
The most important change is expected to be mandatory registration of short-term rentals. Before starting rental activity, the apartment owner will have to report the property to the appropriate register maintained by the municipality.
The data is then expected to be transferred to the CWTON system. This is a central database intended to include apartments, flats and other facilities offered to tourists for short stays. After registration, the property will receive an individual identification number. This number will have to be provided in listings published on booking platforms and in other online offers, for example on the owner’s own website.
This number is intended to become the basic element of market control. Platforms will be required to check whether the listing contains correct data and whether the property has actually been registered.
The detailed rules for the system in Poland are still being clarified in draft acts. They are expected to cover, among other things:
- the method of maintaining the register,
- the rules for assigning numbers,
- owners’ obligations,
- the scope of inspections,
- the amount of administrative penalties.
The new rules on renting apartments by the day are also expected to link short-term rentals with regulations on hotel services. This means that some apartments may be subject to additional requirements related to safety or guest regulations.
The drafts include obligations concerning:
- meeting fire safety requirements, including the need to obtain a chimney sweep or fire safety opinion,
- preparing official house rules for guests,
- indicating the person responsible for the property,
- complying with specific sanitary standards.
Penalties, inspections and restrictions, what can owners face?
Penalties for failing to register a short-term rental are expected to be much higher than the administrative sanctions currently applied. The drafts include financial penalties of up to PLN 50,000. Sanctions may be imposed, among other things, for:
- conducting activity without an entry in the register,
- failing to provide the identification number in a listing,
- providing false data,
- continuing to provide services despite suspension of the entry,
- using markings that may mislead customers.
Importantly, these sanctions will only apply after the full implementation of the national act, so no earlier than autumn. In the longer term, municipalities are also expected to receive the right to create special zones with restrictions on short-term rentals in the centres of tourist cities.
How should an apartment owner prepare for the October changes?
The transitional period is a good time to organise everything. The Ministry of Sport and Tourism encourages owners to enter properties into local municipal registers now. Facilities entered there before the nationwide system is launched will be automatically transferred to the CWTON database.
However, after the amendment comes into force, owners will still have to complete the documentation with:
- proof of payment for the entry, approx. PLN 40,
- official house rules for guests,
- a declaration of compliance with requirements and a fire safety opinion.
Each owner should plan in advance and determine the method of settling income from rentals: whether it will be a business activity or another form of running an enterprise, unregistered activity possible on a small scale, or whether it may be more profitable to sign an agreement with a short-term rental operator.
The most important points for preparing for the new regulations are listed in the short checklist below:
- check whether the property may be subject to registration,
- monitor further legal changes and announcements from the relevant local authority and the Ministry of Sport and Tourism,
- organise listings published on Airbnb and Booking,
- verify tax settlements,
- prepare rental rules for guests,
- check the regulations of the housing community or cooperative,
- prepare the data needed to register the property.
It is not worth waiting until the last moment. Organising data for dozens or hundreds of properties manually just before CWTON launches, and then manually updating offers with assigned identification numbers, is a simple recipe for business paralysis. A modern PMS allows mass management of properties, automatic data updates in OTAs and preparation of the database in such a way that the autumn change in regulations and the addition of assigned identification numbers to offers can take place without problems.
Will short-term rentals in 2026 still be profitable?
The new regulations will increase the number of obligations related to running short-term rentals. For some owners, this means higher costs and more formalities. However, it does not mean the end of the market for apartments rented by the day. In popular tourist locations, demand remains high, and well-managed apartments can still generate high revenue.
Profitability will mainly depend on:
- the location of the apartment,
- the length of the season,
- occupancy levels,
- management costs,
- taxes,
- local restrictions on rentals.
The new requirements are a strong business opportunity for property management companies that can now quickly expand their portfolios. Some private owners, instead of professionalising the business on their own, will decide to entrust their properties to specialised operators. For property managers, this means a natural step towards scaling their business, but it also requires the right infrastructure, such as IdoBooking, a tool for efficiently managing a growing database of apartments and customer relationships.
Short-term rentals are expected to operate under more clearly defined rules than before. For apartment owners, this means the need to keep track of formalities and follow legal changes, but at the same time, the market is expected to become more transparent and fair than it has been so far.