Naples faces new limits on short-term rentals as Italy tightens holiday-let rules

Short-term rental limits have become one of Italy's most politically sensitive real estate issues, according to reporting from franoi.com. The regulations target the practice of property owners renting out apartments to tourists for part of the year—a model that has become economically central to many Italian households, particularly in Naples and other southern heritage cities where tourism revenue helps cover property costs.

In Campania, the informal short-term rental market has exploded over the past decade, driven by international platforms and the city's renaissance in foreign travel writing. Hundreds of Naples apartments—many in historic centro storico neighbourhoods—have been converted to tourist lets, generating income for owners but also exacerbating housing scarcity for residents. The new regulations attempt to balance tourism revenue against the need for long-term residential housing stock in a city already facing demographic pressure and emigration of the young.