August the 21st, 2026 – Croatian landlords are fighting against the new rules, with potential protests on the horizon. They’ve even reported the new law to the European Commission.
Index reports that the landlords’ association Spasimo male obiteljske iznajmljivače (SMOi – Save Small Family Landlords) has filed an official objection with the European Commission against the proposed new Croatian Hospitality Activity Act through the EU’s TRIS notification system. The association claims that certain provisions of the draft law are not in line with EU law and is asking the European Commission to examine them before the law is adopted by the Croatian Parliament.
They have taken particular issue with the mandatory re-categorisation of accommodation every decade, the new rules for “host” status, and the obligation for landlords in multi-apartment buildings to obtain the consent of two-thirds of the co-owners and every immediate neighbour in order to rent out their property.
“one nuisance neighbour can shut down your business”
According to the aforementioned association, under the proposed law a single immediate neighbour could prevent the continuation of short-term rental activity, even if the majority of co-owners support the landlord. This would also apply to existing landlords who have been operating legally for years. If they fail to obtain the required consents by the end of 2029, they could lose the right to operate.
“We’re not against maintaining proper order in buildings, control, and the protection of residents. However, the state must prove with analyses and data where the problem really exists, how big it is, and why it cannot be solved with milder measures: inspections and supervision based on reports, enforcement of house rules, and sanctions for actual violations,” the association said.
“If there’s noise, disorder, or breach of regulations, then the state must react quickly and strictly and equally toward everyone. However, the decision to revoke the right to work may only be made by the competent public authority, based on facts, and not by a neighbour without any explanation.”
croatian landlords strongly oppose re-categorisation
SMOi also objects to the proposed re-categorisation of accommodation every ten years, regardless of whether the property has been modified in the meantime. They claim the procedure would cover more than 125,000 properties and more than 150,000 categorised accommodation units, with the costs borne by the landlords themselves. The association notes that the new categorisation criteria are still unknown because the Ministry of Tourism and Sport will set them later by ordinance. While they do not dispute the state’s right to control safety and quality, they see no justification for automatically re-checking all landlords.
“host status” faces scrutiny…
The association criticises the provision that would tie “host” status to a person’s residence in the same county as the accommodation. They argue this treats landlords differently depending on where they live and that landlords in multi-apartment buildings are excluded from this status even if they meet other conditions. SMOi says such distinctions are unrelated to the quality of service provided.
portugal and ireland have already scrapped these ideas?
The association cites Portugal and Ireland as examples of countries where contested provisions of regulations were changed during the EU notification procedure. “Croatia should not introduce a stricter model than the one Portugal already abandoned due to inconsistency with the EU acquis. The examples of Portugal and Ireland prove that citizens’ engagement can significantly influence the final version of a law,” said SMOi president Vedran Tomić, calling on Croatian landlords to participate in the TRIS procedure and submit their comments.
are protests coming in the future? potentially…
The association argues that restrictions on tourist rentals should not be applied uniformly across the whole of Croatia, from the most tourist-burdened cities to depopulated and economically weaker areas.
“Let’s not kid ourselves here, the problem of mass tourism doesn’t lie at the hands of family accommodation, nor is the goal of these measures affordable housing,” said association vice-president Hana Matić. “We’d like to call on everyone to stop turning a blind eye to the systematic favouring of institutional investors for whose benefit numerous laws are being changed, including the Hospitality Activity Act, all to the detriment of Croatian citizens and the future of our children. The first step is a comment in the TRIS system, and public protests are becoming increasingly likely,” she concluded.
