Executive Summary
The Australian Tax Office will block holiday-home owners from claiming deductions like mortgage interest and council rates starting July 1, 2026, unless the property is genuinely available to rent during peak seasons like Christmas and Easter, a change that touches an estimated 250,000 properties. Closer to home, Hazel Park, Michigan, passed an immediate six-month freeze on new STR licenses after a deadly shooting at a rental, and several Ohio cities are tightening up, with Bowling Green now requiring registration, the lodging tax, and a local rep within 35 miles. Columbia, South Carolina, rolled out a new online portal for STR registration and renewals, with renewals due by June 30. On the developing side, Maui County's committee voted 6-1 to advance two new hotel zoning categories that could give operators displaced by Bill 9 a way forward. Florence, Italy, wants to expand its ban on new tourist rentals to cover more than 103,000 homes, and Tybee Island, Georgia, is weighing a four-zone permit cap system that now heads to its planning commission.
New Regulations
Australia
Tax · Published May 25, 2026
Beginning July 1, 2026, the Australian Tax Office will deny holiday-home owners deductions like mortgage interest, council rates, and maintenance unless the property is genuinely available to rent during peak periods such as Christmas and Easter. The finalized ruling targets private holiday homes that owners write off as investments without renting them on a commercial footing, and affects an estimated 250,000 properties.
→ Source: ATO confirms new rules for holiday homes as it cracks down on tax deductions: 'Rude awakening'
Multiple Cities, Ohio
Licensing / Zoning · Published May 28, 2026
Bowling Green now requires STR owners to register, pay the hotel lodging tax, and keep a local representative within 35 miles for emergencies, while Bath Township has effectively banned STRs through zoning. Several other Ohio cities, including Cleveland and Hocking Hills, are weighing their own rules after shootings at rentals in Toledo and Liberty Township.
→ Source: As Short-Term Rentals Expand, Ohio Cities Add New Regulations
Hazel Park, Michigan
Moratorium · Published June 1, 2026
Hazel Park approved an immediate six-month moratorium on new short-term rental licenses for Airbnb and VRBO after a fatal shooting at an STR last week. Applications submitted after June 1 are paused, but existing licensed operators in compliance can keep running while the city reviews its rules.
→ Source: Hazel Park announces 6-month moratorium on new short-term rental licenses
Columbia, South Carolina
Licensing / Registration · Published May 29, 2026
Columbia launched an online portal for short-term rental registration and renewals, with current operators' renewals due by June 30 and new applications opening June 1. The platform follows a March council vote to repeal the city's STR moratorium and exclude owner-occupied rentals from new siting restrictions.
→ Source: City of Columbia launches online platform for short-term rental registration, renewals
Developing Regulations
Florence, Italy
Zoning / Ban · Published May 27, 2026
Florence plans to extend its ban on new short-term tourist rentals from the UNESCO-listed historic center to roughly 16 square kilometers of the city for two years. The expansion would raise the number of homes covered from about 35,593 to more than 103,000 in an effort to ease housing pressure and curb overtourism.
→ Source: Florence plans major expansion of Airbnb curbs beyond historic centre
Maui County, Hawaii
Zoning · Published May 27, 2026
Maui County's Housing and Land Use Committee voted 6-1 to advance two new hotel zoning categories, H-3 and H-4, over the objections of all three county planning commissions. The move would give vacation rental operators hit by Bill 9 a path to seek hotel zoning as the county phases out rentals in apartment-zoned districts.
→ Source: New hotel zoning clears Council committee, 6-1, despite planning commissions' opposition
Tybee Island, Georgia
Zoning / Permitting · Published May 27, 2026
Tybee Island is considering a proposal that would split the city into four zones, each with its own cap on active short-term rental permits, after 2024 rules aimed to phase rentals out. The plan heads to the planning commission next, giving local operators a window to weigh in before anything is finalized.
→ Source: Tybee Island proposes changes to short-term rental ordinance
