Cyprus could gain a stronger legal basis to restrict Airbnb-style rentals in areas facing housing pressure, but any measures would need evidence showing where that pressure exists and how short-term rentals contribute to it.
The European Commission’s forthcoming Affordable Housing Act is still being drafted and would not impose an EU-wide cap or ban. Instead, it would allow authorities to identify “areas of housing stress” using public data and introduce proportionate measures, including restrictions on short-term lets, alongside policies to increase housing supply.
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Cyprus’ Short-Term Rental Market Is Growing
Eurostat data shows Cyprus recorded 7.64 million guest nights booked through Airbnb, Booking and Expedia in 2025, up 24.7% from 2024. During the first quarter of 2026, platform guest nights exceeded one million, a 22.3% year-on-year increase and the EU’s fourth-fastest growth rate.
Guest-night figures measure demand rather than the number of homes used for short-term rentals, so they do not show how many properties may have left the long-term rental market.
Registration Gaps Remain
A July Audit Office report said 8,464 licensed self-service accommodation units were registered as of May 6. That compares with 492,931 housing units in the 2021 census, although the figures are not directly comparable.
An audit of 20 online listings found only six with valid licences matching state records. Ten had no registration number, while four displayed invalid or mismatched numbers. A separate review of 150 listings in Famagusta found 23 properties absent from the relevant registers.
The samples cannot establish the scale of illegal rentals nationwide, but they indicate gaps in registration and enforcement.
EU Framework Focuses On Data
Regulation 2024/1028, effective since May 20, creates a common EU framework for collecting data from hosts and platforms. Platforms can be required to display registration numbers, conduct checks and provide authorities with data on stays, nights booked and individual properties.
The regulation does not impose rental limits. It is intended to give authorities evidence for deciding whether further restrictions are justified.
Property Prices Have Other Drivers
Cyprus residential property prices rose 7.5% year on year in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Central Bank of Cyprus. Apartment prices increased 10.8%, while house prices rose 3%.
The central bank attributed the increase primarily to foreign demand, followed by domestic demand and higher construction costs. It did not identify short-term rentals as the main cause.
The European Commission’s housing assessment found short-term rental activity across the EU increased 93% between 2018 and 2024. While listings account for an estimated 1.2% of total housing stock, their share can reach 20% in some tourist centers and neighborhoods.
The Commission said high concentrations of short-term rentals do not automatically cause housing shortages or higher prices, although they can add pressure where supply is already constrained.
Local Evidence Will Shape Any Restrictions
A 2020 EU court ruling found that a shortage of long-term rental housing can justify prior-authorisation rules for short-term lets if measures are necessary, nondiscriminatory and proportionate. Airbnb has supported better data sharing while calling for targeted rather than blanket restrictions.
For Cyprus, any case for tighter rules will therefore depend on neighborhood-level evidence linking short-term rentals to local housing pressure. In 2024, 2.4% of Cyprus residents faced housing-cost overburden, compared with 8.2% across the EU, according to Eurostat.
