Italy now requires every short-term let to carry a national identification number, and Tuscany has become the first Italian region to hand individual towns the power to restrict holiday rentals street by street. Both rules have been in force since January 2025, and a third change followed in 2026: the threshold at which private letting tips into a business fell from four properties to two. Together, these three shifts have made the regulatory picture a purchase question rather than a formality to resolve after completion.
The rules are not uniform across the region. A Casale in the Chianti hills faces almost none of the permit risk that applies to a flat in central Florence, even if both properties are listed on the same platform. This article covers the regulatory side: registration, permits, safety standard, and the towns that are tightening. For the tax and income side, see Renting Out in Tuscany: Taxes, Returns, Rules.
What is a Locazione breve?
A Locazione breve is a residential let of up to 30 days per contract, granted by a private individual outside any business. The 30-day cap is the line that defines it: a guest staying 31 days or more falls under ordinary residential tenancy law, which carries strong tenant protections and is a separate legal framework. The boundary between private letting and running a business was once vague. Since 2026 it is a hard number, and that number matters if you are considering a second or third property.
CIN: National Registration Required Since 1 January 2025
Every short-term let in Italy needs a national identification number, the CIN (Codice Identificativo Nazionale), which has been compulsory since 1 January 2025. The CIN is unique to each property. Owners apply through the Tourism Ministry’s national portal; the number must then appear in every listing on Airbnb, Booking, VRBO, or a private website, and be displayed on the exterior of the building. It is also required in the annual income tax return.
Airbnb and Booking are required by law to block listings with no CIN, and both platforms removed unregistered listings during 2025. The fines for non-compliance run on two tiers.
| Breach | Fine |
|---|---|
| No CIN (property let without registration) | 800–8,000 EUR |
| CIN not displayed or not mounted on the building | 500–5,000 EUR |
The CIN sits alongside a regional registration number, the CIR (Codice Identificativo Regionale), which Tuscany already required before the national system existed. Both are needed: the national code does not replace the regional one.
The Reporting Duties That Come With Every Let
The CIN is a one-time registration. Several ongoing duties apply on top of it, and most owners delegate them to a property manager in practice. The obligations that most often catch owners by surprise:
Guest identity details must reach the police within 24 hours of check-in, through the state police’s online portal (Alloggiati Web). This applies to every guest, every stay, regardless of length.
Each town sets its own tourist tax, and the variation is wide: up to 5 EUR per person per night in Florence’s premium tier, 1 to 3 EUR in smaller Chianti towns. The guest pays it; the host passes it on. On platform bookings, Airbnb and Booking now collect and remit it directly.
Statistical returns on arrivals and overnight stays go to the region, monthly or quarterly depending on the town.
Booking, Airbnb, and other platforms report their hosts’ earnings to the tax authority annually, under the EU’s DAC7 framework, by 28 February of the following year. Rental income left off a return becomes visible through that channel.
Before the first let, a safety self-declaration must be filed with the local authority, confirming that the property meets the standard described below.
Safety Requirements
A fixed safety standard applies to every property in short-term rental. The requirements cover carbon monoxide detectors in any room with a gas appliance or fireplace, fire extinguishers in common areas, electrical and gas systems certified by a licensed installer, and emergency exits that meet fire-safety rules.
For a 17th-century Casale this typically means certifying the electrical and gas installations, fitting detectors in the correct positions, and putting extinguishers in place. Bringing a property up to the standard costs 500 to 3,000 EUR depending on the condition of the systems, with the installer’s certification adding 200 to 500 EUR. A surveyor can identify the likely cost before an offer is made, which is the right moment to know it rather than after completion.
Tuscany’s Regional Short-Let Law
Tuscany’s regional short-let law, in force since 9 January 2025, is the rule that changed the picture most significantly. It gives towns with high tourist density, and every provincial capital, the power to regulate short-term lets zone by zone. A town identifies areas where holiday rentals are oversupplied; within those zones, a short-let requires a five-year permit (Autorizzazione). Without the permit, short-term letting in the designated area is not permitted. Italy’s constitutional court has confirmed the law as valid.
Owners who were already letting short-term in 2024 receive a transition window of three to five years. They must apply for the permit but may continue renting in the meantime. The grandfathering depends on proof of active letting in 2024, through the regional CIR registration, the tax return, or platform booking records. One exception falls entirely outside the permit requirement: letting a single room in your own main home while you live there is not caught by it.
The law creates the framework; each town must write its own local ordinance. As of mid-2026, the larger towns have not finalised theirs. The framework is in force; the local rules are still being written. That gap is the operative planning consideration, because the risk is not spread evenly across the region. When I assess a property for a buyer with a rental plan, I check the specific commune’s current regulatory status before offering any yield estimate, because the position can vary street by street in a historic centre.
Florence, Lucca, Siena: The Towns Where Risk Is Concentrated
The three largest tourist cities carry the highest regulatory exposure, and a buyer relying on holiday income in any of their historic centres is taking on the most uncertainty in the region.
Florence has stated the firmest intention. The mayor has repeatedly indicated an aim to restrict short-term letting substantially in the historic centre (Centro Storico), a UNESCO World Heritage area, and the tourist tax there reaches 5 EUR per person per night at the upper end. The specific ordinances under the regional law are still in draft. Anyone buying a flat in the Centro Storico on the basis of holiday-let income should price in the likelihood that the rules will tighten.
Lucca and Siena sit a step behind Florence but in the same direction. Both are provincial capitals with historic centres under sustained tourist pressure, both fall under the regional law, and both are working on quota rules. Outside the walls, in Lucca’s case in the Garfagnana, the risk drops considerably.
Rural Tuscany sits on the calmer side. The law applies only in high-density tourist towns and provincial capitals, so a Casale in Castellina, Gaiole, Montalcino, or Cortona does not, as things stand, require the five-year permit. A reclassification could change that, but for rural property the regulatory exposure is currently low.
Running a Hospitality Business: SCIA, Affittacamere, B&B, Casa Vacanze
Private short-term letting is one route. Anyone wanting to run a proper hospitality operation rather than let privately moves into a regulated business form and files a SCIA (Segnalazione Certificata di Inizio Attività, a certified business-start notice) with the town hall.
| Form | What it is | Key limit |
|---|---|---|
| Affittacamere | Room rental | Up to 6 rooms across one or two flats |
| Bed & Breakfast | Run in your own home, as a sideline | Around 3 rooms; owner resident |
| Casa Vacanze | Whole flat, let commercially | Needs business registration; costs become deductible |
The SCIA includes the property’s official data, the chosen form, the bed count, proof of safety certification, a hygiene declaration, and the regional registration number. It is filed with the town’s business desk, usually online, and the operation can begin from the filing date. The town has 60 days to raise objections; if it does not, the notice stands. The administrative fee runs 50 to 200 EUR.
Requirements vary from town to town, so the town’s technical office is the right first step before filing, to confirm exactly what documentation it needs. An Agriturismo sits under a separate regime for farm businesses, with its own rules and a different yield logic, and it requires an active agricultural operation rather than a holiday let arrangement.
Cedolare secca and the Two-Property Threshold
The flat tax on private short-term lets, the Cedolare secca, runs at 21 per cent on one property of the owner’s choosing, and at 26 per cent on each further property let short-term. For most non-residents this rate beats progressive income tax. The full calculation with worked examples is in the tax and returns guide.
The structural shift in 2026 is the business threshold. Running more than two flats in short-term rental now triggers the presumption of running a business, bringing VAT registration (Partita IVA), social-security contributions, formal bookkeeping, and the loss of the flat tax. The threshold was four flats until the end of 2025. A holiday home and a city flat let short-term still count as private letting; a third property crosses the line. That is the question any buyer looking at a second or third property needs answered before, not at, the purchase.
Yield: What Remains
Regulation carries a cost, and the costs reduce the net. Registration, safety upgrades, tax advice, and management all draw on the gross before the flat tax applies. A Tuscan Casale typically lets for 18 to 25 weeks a year. Cleaning, laundry, platform commission, management, and maintenance take the bulk of that gross, so the net sits well below what the headline weekly rate suggests. Buyers weighing a villa primarily for its rental potential should also read buying a villa in Tuscany for what makes the most lettable properties stand apart.
The actual figure depends on the specific property, its location, and its occupancy. I run that calculation on the actual house before a purchase, so the number reflects reality rather than a regional average. A long-term tenancy carries less effort and less regulatory exposure but brings in less; which arrangement suits a given buyer follows from how they intend to use the house.
FAQ
Do I need the CIN before I rent out?
Yes. Since 1 January 2025 the CIN must be in place before the property appears in any listing. You apply through the Tourism Ministry’s national portal, and the process takes a few days with no fee. Airbnb and Booking are required to block properties without one. The regional registration (CIR) and the safety standard need to be sorted alongside it, as all three are checked together in practice.
Can I let my Casale in Chianti short-term without a permit?
Currently yes, provided the local council has not issued an ordinance under the regional law. Most rural towns in Tuscany do not yet fall under the five-year permit requirement, so a Casale in the Chianti hills can be let on the strength of the CIN, the regional registration, and the safety standard. The permit question applies only in high-density tourist towns and provincial capitals. It is worth confirming the current position for the specific commune before committing to a purchase.
What happens if I let three flats short-term?
Three flats cross the 2026 business threshold. From the third property, letting is presumed to be a business: VAT registration, social-security contributions, and formal bookkeeping apply, and the flat tax falls away. Two flats still count as private letting. The threshold was four until the end of 2025, so anyone who set up under the old rule should check where the new line leaves them.
Is short-term rental banned in Florence’s Centro Storico?
Not at present. The regional law gives Florence the instrument to restrict short-term letting in defined zones, and the mayor has signalled the intention, but the specific ordinances remain in draft as of mid-2026. There is no blanket ban today; a five-year permit requirement in parts of the centre is the likely outcome. A buyer purchasing a flat in the Centro Storico who depends on holiday income should treat this as a live risk rather than assume that today’s position holds.
What yield can I realistically expect?
The figure depends on location, fit-out (pool, air conditioning, parking), season length, and how the property is managed. A Tuscan Casale typically lets for 18 to 25 weeks a year, and the gross is eroded by cleaning, platform commission, management, and maintenance before the flat tax applies. There is no single number that applies across the region. I calculate it on the specific property before a purchase.
Andrej Avi is an estate agent in Tuscany who guides international buyers. Request buying guidance · Current properties
Further reading: Renting Out: Taxes and Returns · Buying Property in Italy: The Guide · The Tuscany Property Market 2026
As of July 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice.
