Short-Term Rental Registration: What Corporate Housing, Temporary Living Providers, and Clients Should Know

What's Behind the Expansion of Short Term-Rental Regulations? 

In many key rental markets around the world, vacancy rates for unfurnished, long-term rentals are at critically low levels – below 5% in San Francisco, for example, and below 1% in markets such as Berlin and Amsterdam. Local governments are committed to sourcing more rental inventory for local residents and have turned their attention to limiting and regulating leisure-based short-term rentals (STRs) as a tool for potentially adding more properties to their long-term rental housing stock.

While these policies for controlling short-term, leisure-focused rentals are not directly focused on business-to-business services like corporate housing/temporary living, they can have an impact on operators and also raise questions from clients and guests around availability of supply, risk, and compliance.

Recognizing a fast-evolving regulatory environment, this blog summarizes high-visibility STR regulations and proposals in key high-volume markets for corporate travel and relocation, while acknowledging more guidance is likely to come over the next 6–12 months.

Regulations in the EU and the United Kingdom

From May 20, 2026, key obligations under EU Regulation 2024/1028 apply to short-term rental accommodations across the European Union. The regulation standardizes registration schemes and the collection and sharing of data, requiring hosts and operators to obtain and display a registration number, and requiring platforms to verify and share activity data with relevant authorities. The regulation does not create EU-wide caps on length of stay or the number of rentals permitted; those decisions remain with national, regional, or local authorities.

The intent of the registration is to standardize data capture and allow local authorities to assess the impact of STRs in their markets and make policy decisions accordingly.

The EU regulations do not extend to the UK, but in London, one of the world’s largest markets for both STR and business-to-business furnished accommodations, borough councils are considering taking more direct action on registration within the city limits and expect to adopt a registration platform similar in concept to the EU platform in the near future.

Standardized capture of STR operator data is common practice in the US, especially in markets such as New York City and San Francisco, and it is expected that a national standard for data capture (with local guidelines still in force) will be implemented in the US as well in the next 12 months.

Impacts to Furnished Accommodations and Corporate Housing

The large majority of providers and operators of accommodations for corporate travel, relocation, insurance, and other business-related services are not in the short-term rental/leisure travel business. However, to manage inventory vacancies or gaps when business-to-business service needs are lower (during the holiday season, for example), furnished accommodation operators may use platforms like Airbnb or VRBO to promote their properties.

If a property is posted to an STR platform, its operator may be subject to the registration rules where the property is located. Furnished accommodation providers should check the applicable local requirements and confirm whether registration, reporting, licensing, or platform-display obligations apply. Noncompliance can lead to delisting, penalties, or operational disruption.

In addition to recommending appropriate compliance with existing STR registration requirements, the professional associations that support furnished accommodations for business needs – including CHPA, headquartered in the US, and ASAP, headquartered in London, are actively engaged with government bodies to clearly define the distinction between housing secured for leisure travel and for business purposes, typically for minimum lengths of stay of 30 days (but sometimes shorter, when the operator also holds a hotel license).

As noted, the primary intent of oversight of short-term rentals marketed to tourists and leisure travelers is to limit the number of rental units used for this purpose, so that more units can be made available to local residents. (The effectiveness of this redistribution is an additional matter of discussion.) What is clear is that the leisure-travel model of short-term stays and frequent turnover is not how corporate housing operates, with its purpose-built aparthotels and furnished living units designed to support business travel and other corporate customer needs. While this education effort continues, it is currently the case that in some markets, notably Barcelona, no exceptions are made for the type of housing operator and all providers of rentals used for short-term lengths of stay are required to register.

Risk for Corporate Housing Providers, Clients, and Guests

The property owner/operator is responsible for registration. They are required to understand local regulations and requirements and to respond in a cooperative and compliant manner. At Dwellworks Living, we consider compliance with the registration requirements of local authorities on par with compliance with any other local laws. Legal and regulatory compliance is a supplier requirement covered by our Code of Conduct and terms of engagement.

We recognize, however, that with multiple new requirements being implemented and considered, suppliers may need some time to fully meet their compliance requirements. Nonetheless, they and we understand the urgency of taking action, for the primary reason that we need assurance that any property/unit we market to our clients and guests is offered in full compliance and without the burden of any potential risk to the guest related to their registration and stay. It should be noted that in order to comply with local regulations, operators may need to ask for additional information from guests related to length of stay/travel purpose. Any data gathered will be exclusively for the purpose of compliance and to spare the guest from being challenged/asked for information directly by any external agency or regulatory body.

Recommended Actions

Recommended actions for providers, furnished accommodations agencies, and RMCs should focus on confirming local obligations, documenting compliance, and communicating consistently with clients and guests:

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• Providers of corporate housing/furnished accommodations should check with local housing authorities to determine whether, as operators, they have any registration requirements based on their business model
• If registration requirements exist, providers should confirm with their legal counsel and comply with the registration and reporting requirements
• Suppliers should notify their business partners (e.g., agencies and RMCs) of any additional guest communication or information gathering needs
• Agencies and RMCs should advise clients and guests that their providers are compliant and advise clients specifically that no disruption to supply or service is expected
• Any questions from clients and guests should be managed by agencies and RMCs to ensure consistent responses and customer service

Conclusion

Local regulation and registration are a fact of life in the housing industry. Recently published requirements in the EU have brought the topic of defining the difference between short-term housing for leisure and short-to-midterm housing for business needs to the fore. While industry associations and agencies collaborate with local government authorities to clarify the distinction and continue to manage furnished accommodations as a professional service, serviced housing operators and managers should also review local registration requirements and confirm compliance. Failure to comply may result in fines and reduced property availability for guests.

About Dwellworks and Dwellworks Living

Dwellworks is the world’s leading provider of accommodation and acclimation support services for the mobile workforce and business travelers. We specialize in global destination services, corporate housing, and intercultural training, as well as property management and real estate services in key US markets.

Our clients trust us to deliver personalized high-quality service experiences, powered by innovative technology and supported by our extensive local presence in hundreds of locations worldwide. Through our brands Dwellworks, Dwellworks Living, and Station Cities, we offer a comprehensive range of service options, global reach, local expertise, and passion for the customer service experience.

Driven by a commitment to excellence, we continuously pursue innovation and operational efficiency and invest in meeting rigorous global compliance standards for data security, financial management, and sustainability. Whether supporting corporate travel or relocation, domestically or around the world, we work in partnership with our clients to ensure talented employees and their families transition smoothly and thrive in their new locations.

For more information, please visit our company brands at Dwellworks.com, DwellworksLiving.com, and StationCities.com.