Before you start
Many owners abroad buy a flat in Venice to use for part of the year and let it for the rest. It can work well, but short lets in Italy are among the most regulated activities an owner can take on, and Venice adds rules of its own. The rules have changed several times since 2023, so treat this guide as a map of what to check, not as legal advice, and confirm the current position with an accountant or a lawyer before the first booking.
Short let or business?
In Italy, letting a home for less than 30 days without services such as cleaning during the stay or breakfast is a short-term rental (locazione breve or turistica) and can be done by a private owner. Offering hotel-like services, or letting three or more flats (since the 2026 budget law; the threshold used to be five), is treated as a business activity, with a different registration and tax regime. Most owners abroad with one or two flats stay in the first category.
- 01RegistrationThe national identification code (CIN) and the regional code, shown in every listing and at the entrance.Ministry · Veneto
- 02SafetyWorking detectors for flammable gas and carbon monoxide, and fire extinguishers.The flat
- 03GuestsEach guest registered with the police within 24 hours of arrival; arrivals reported for regional statistics.Alloggiati Web
- 04Tourist taxCollected per night from guests, paid over and declared to the city.Comune di Venezia
- 05Income taxItalian tax on Italian rents, also for owners living abroad.Agenzia delle Entrate
- 06The buildingCondominium rules, insurance, and whether the city limits short lets.Building · City
A summary to start from, not legal advice. Rules in this area have changed often since 2023.
Registrations
- The national code (CIN). Since 2025 every home let to visitors must have a national identification code issued through the Ministry of Tourism’s database. It must appear in every advertisement, on every platform, and be displayed outside the building. Fines for operating without it, or for not showing it, run into thousands of euros.
- The regional code. The Veneto Region has its own registration for tourist accommodation, linked to the national code. Since late 2025 a new regional law has brought the rules on tourist rentals together.
- The platforms. Airbnb, Booking.com and others now ask for the code before a listing can go live.
Safety
Along with the national code came minimum safety requirements: working detectors for flammable gas and carbon monoxide, and fire extinguishers in the flat. Beyond the legal minimum, a good host also checks the electrical system and boiler, and keeps their certificates in order. In Venice, also think about high water: the floor of the flat and how guests should behave if the sirens sound.
Guests
- Police registration. Every guest must be reported to the police through the Alloggiati Web portal within 24 hours of arrival, with the details of an identity document. Whether guests must be identified in person, rather than with a key box, has been the subject of a ministry circular and a court ruling since 2024: check the current position.
- Statistics. Arrivals and nights are also reported for regional tourism statistics.
- Tourist tax. Venice charges a tourist tax (imposta di soggiorno) per person per night, for a limited number of nights, with rates depending on the area, the season and the type of accommodation. The host collects it, pays it to the city and files the declarations. Some platforms collect it on the host’s behalf: check whether yours does, so it is not charged twice or not at all.
- The access fee. The access fee that Venice charges day visitors on certain days does not apply to guests staying overnight, but they may need to register to be exempt. Tell guests in advance.
Venice’s own limits
Venice has a special legal power, granted in 2022, to limit short lets of whole homes in the historic centre beyond 120 days a year. The city adopted an experimental regulation in October 2024, with a register for those who exceed the limit and a moratorium on new registrations that, according to the city, runs until the end of 2026. Its application has been debated and may change. If you are buying a flat in Venice with rental income in mind, check the city’s current rules for that specific address before you sign.
Also check the building: the condominium rules (regolamento condominiale) may restrict short lets, and neighbours in Venetian buildings tend to notice.
Taxes for owners abroad
Rental income from an Italian property is taxed in Italy, even if the owner lives elsewhere. A private owner can choose the flat-rate tax (cedolare secca), currently 21% on one property and 26% on the second, instead of ordinary income tax. Platforms that collect rent may withhold tax at source. The owner then files an Italian tax return, and may also have to declare the income at home, with relief under the double tax treaty if there is one. Local property tax (IMU) is usually due on a second home. An Italian accountant (commercialista) is essential here.
Running it from abroad
The practical side decides whether a short let works: check-ins, cleaning and laundry, repairs, the police registrations and the tourist tax, all in a city where everything moves on foot or by boat. Owners usually choose between:
- A property manager, who runs everything for a percentage of the revenue, often 15–30%.
- Running it themselves, with local cleaners and a person on call.
- A mix, with someone local who checks on the flat and on the people who work in it.
Where a local representative helps
A representative is not a property manager, and does not replace your accountant. What a representative in Venice can do is set things up properly: check the building and the city’s rules before you commit, coordinate the registrations, the safety works and the accountant, find and check a property manager or cleaners, visit the flat regularly, and send you an independent report on its condition and on how the people you pay are working.