Short-Term Rental Rules in Puglia (2026 Guide)

The CIN is mandatory for all tourist rentals in Italy and is issued through the Ministry of Tourism’s national accommodation database (BDSR). It must appear in every online listing (Airbnb, Booking, your own website) and be displayed outside the property.

Operating without a CIN, or failing to display it, carries administrative fines that can reach several thousand euros. If the property had an old regional code (CIS), the CIN replaces it as the national reference.

Short-term rentals must be equipped with working gas and carbon monoxide detectors, plus compliant portable fire extinguishers placed in accessible, marked positions (roughly one per 200 sqm per floor).

These checks should be done before renting out the home: in case of inspection or accident, missing devices expose the owner to fines and liability.

Each guest’s details must be sent to the State Police “Alloggiati Web” portal within 24 hours of arrival (or upon arrival for stays under 24 hours). This applies to every check-in, no exceptions.

It requires an account enabled by the local police headquarters. Late or missing reporting has criminal relevance: it is one of the most sensitive obligations in short-let management.

Each municipality sets its own rates, exemptions and seasons. The host collects the tax from guests, pays it to the municipality and files the annual electronic declaration.

In Salento the rules change from town to town (Lecce, Gallipoli, Otranto and the others have different rates and seasonality): always check the regulation of the municipality where the property is located.

The Puglia Region requires tourist flow reporting through the SPOT platform (Sistema Puglia per l’Osservatorio Turistico), which also feeds the ISTAT surveys on guest movements.

It is a recurring obligation often forgotten by self-managing owners: the property’s position must be kept up to date even in months with no guests.

For non-business short lets, owners can opt for the “cedolare secca” flat tax: 21% on one rented property and 26% from the second to the fourth property used for short lets. Above four properties, the activity is considered a business and requires a VAT number.

Intermediaries and platforms that collect payments withhold 21% as an advance (or final tax, depending on the chosen regime). The tax regime choice and the return remain with the owner and their accountant: a serious property manager provides complete, declaration-ready statements.

A short let is a contract of up to 30 days that does not require registration. Clear house rules, any security deposit communicated in advance and transparent cancellation terms remain essential.

If the operation grows beyond certain volumes or includes extra services (breakfast, transfers), it may qualify as a business activity: that is the moment to get professional support.

Puglia regional law no. 15/2025 (special BURP bulletin no. 6 of 30 September 2025) requires every tourist rental already active on that date to file a CIA (Communication of Business Start, for non-business hosts) or a SCIA (Certified Notice of Business Start, for business operators) within 365 days: the deadline is 30 September 2026. After that date, operating without the filing counts as an unlicensed activity, with the penalties set for missing authorisation.

Unified paperwork exists (Tourism Section executive decision no. 217 of 3 October 2025), but each municipal SUAP (one-stop shop for business activities) keeps its own procedure: check the exact portal, documents and timing with the SUAP of the municipality where the property is located. A liability insurance policy sized to the property’s guest capacity is also required.

In the province of Lecce alone there are 23,817 registered tourist rentals, 20,982 of them non-business: thousands of owners have this deadline on their calendar, and by late July only about two months are left to comply.