September the 14th, 2026 – The Association of Family Hosts say that more restrictions on Croatian short-term rentals absolutely won’t solve the ongoing housing crisis, and certainly not without solid evidence.
In response to the recently presented proposal for a European Regulation on affordable housing, the Croatian Association “Save the Small Family Hosts” (SMOi) has issued a sharp appeal to the public and the Government of the Republic of Croatia. Morski reports that the aforementioned association has warned of the risk of shifting blame for the housing crisis onto citizens engaged in family tourism and stress that any restrictions are being introduced without concrete data and analysis of the actual impact. Association president Vedran Tomić emphasises that they support housing affordability, but states that a structural problem cannot be solved by restricting the constitutional right to the legal use of one’s own property.
european data leaves many scratching their heads…
In cooperation with the European Holiday Home Association (EHHA), the SMOi association recalls that the European system for collecting data on short-term rentals is not yet fully operational and that the first comparable data will only be available in 2028. Introducing bans before then is considered decisions based on assumptions rather than facts, while the numbers themselves clearly refute the current accusations. While short-term rentals account for only about 1.2 percent of the EU housing stock, and in Croatia even less than one percent, at the same time around 40 percent of Croatia’s housing stock is completely out of residential use.
In addition, while the number of beds offered by family hosts in Croatia has been stable for years, ranging between 650,000 and 670,000, non-commercial accommodation in the form of holiday houses and apartments has experienced explosive growth, from 355,000 in 2016 to more than 700,000 in 2025. That abolished apartments do not automatically become available housing is also proven by the example of Barcelona, where despite the freezing of rental licences, rents per square metre rose by as much as 72 percent.
damage to the local economy and to family budgets
The association emphasises that family accommodation is not a business empire, but a key source of income for topping up the household budget and maintaining family heritage. Shutting it down directly harms the wider local economy, affecting craftsmen, builders, restaurateurs and shops. As a warning example they cite the French Basque Country, where after the introduction of bans and the withdrawal of around 6,000 apartments, only 5 percent of the properties returned to year-round rental, with a projected loss of 230 million euros and the endangerment of more than 4,000 jobs.
an appeal to the croatian government: try focusing on some actual problems
SMOi is not seeking complete deregulation, but clear and fair rules that must be temporary, locally targeted and based on cause-and-effect evidence. Instead of a witch hunt, they call on the Croatian Government to direct housing policy towards encouraging new housing construction and activating empty properties, while clearly distinguishing family accommodation from non-commercial and speculative capital, and protecting domestic hosts in European negotiations.
“Before introducing bans, it’s necessary to quantify how many specific apartments will actually be returned to the market, because if that cannot be proven, then the housing crisis is not being solved, instead, people are being harmed and corporate investors in resorts are being directly favoured,” concluded Hana Matić, vice-president of the association.
