Prague’s central district is calling on the Czech government to give municipalities stronger powers to regulate short-term accommodation offered through platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com.
Officials in Prague 1, which includes the heavily visited Old Town and Malá Strana districts, want cities to be able to identify property owners, verify whether apartments are legally approved for tourist accommodation and check whether operators are paying mandatory visitor fees.
The initiative comes in response to long-standing complaints from residents about noise, disturbances in residential buildings and the growing number of unregistered holiday apartments. Local authorities also argue that Prague is losing revenue because some hosts fail to register their activity or pay accommodation fees.
Residents support restrictions
The proposal follows a Prague 1 council decision adopted in June and a local referendum held in October 2025. In the referendum, 72 percent of participating voters supported restrictions on short-term rentals in apartments intended for residential use.
Prague 1 councillor Giancarlo Lamberti said nationwide regulations would be insufficient unless municipalities received practical enforcement tools. The district wants access to information about hosts, the power to inspect compliance with building regulations and the ability to compare registered properties with fees actually paid.
Prague 1 also wants digital platforms to remove listings belonging to operators who fail to meet legal requirements.
The Czech Ministry for Regional Development confirmed that discussions over changes to tourism legislation were continuing, although the final form of the regulations had not yet been decided.
Croatia presented as possible model
Prague officials have pointed to Croatia as an example of how short-term rentals could be regulated more effectively. Under the Croatian system, accommodation providers must receive an individual registration number before advertising their properties on major booking platforms.
A similar system in the Czech Republic would make it easier for municipal authorities to determine whether a listed apartment meets legal, safety and tax requirements. Platforms could be required to display the registration number and reject advertisements from unregistered operators.
Jana Adamcová of Prague City Tourism has argued that the Croatian model could help the Czech capital establish a clearer link between legal compliance and access to online booking platforms.
Higher and more flexible visitor fees
Prague 1 is also seeking changes to the country’s accommodation fee system. Czech municipalities can currently charge visitors up to CZK 50 per person per night. The district proposes allowing local authorities to set fees between zero and CZK 200, depending on local conditions and the intensity of tourism.
Prague City Hall has supported a more flexible approach, noting that the capital’s current visitor fee remains relatively low compared with charges imposed in other major European destinations.
In 2025, Prague collected CZK 933 million in accommodation fees, CZK 48 million more than in the previous year. Officials believe tighter registration requirements and better access to data could further reduce the number of operators avoiding these payments.
The proposals form part of a broader European trend toward tighter regulation of short-term rentals. Cities increasingly argue that the rapid expansion of holiday accommodation is reducing the supply of long-term housing, increasing rents and placing additional pressure on residents of historic centres.
Prague officials stress that their objective is not to ban platforms such as Airbnb. Instead, they want short-term rentals to operate under transparent rules that protect permanent residents, ensure fair competition with hotels and guarantee that operators pay the required local fees.
