September the 1st, 2026 – One Split landlord has shared his August worries about reservations which point to a much deeper problem within Croatian tourism.
A discussion developed on Reddit recently under a post by a resident of Split from Varoš about the bursting of Split’s tourist bubble, prices and “nerve amortisation”.
“Basically, this is the first time it’s happened that I’ve been empty for a longer period in August. I have an apartment in Varoš. So… a week has already passed by without any check-in or reservation made, and my price is low. Is anyone else in a similar situation?” This short post, which an anonymous Split landlord shared on Reddit, instantly laid bare the anxieties that have for some time been creeping among Split’s hospitality workers and property owners. Morski reports that Varoš, a traditional old Split neighbourhood, has experienced unexpected silence right in the very heart the middle of the peak summer season.
stuck between a rock and a hard place – market reality and harsh algorithms…
Many people in the comments immediately pointed out that the problem may not be in Split itself or a general crisis, but in the fact that supply has long exceeded demand. One user vividly explained the situation with the following words: “Supply and demand. In Split there are 15-20% more apartments on the market at any given moment than the city has guests.”
Others located the problem within the digital platforms themselves and suggested the landlord check how the apps treat him at all: “Try searching for your apartment on the site where you rent it out as a guest, preferably in an incognito window… Maybe it’s not even about the price but the algorithm. Most guests don’t scroll past the first 10-15 apartments before booking something.”
A particularly sharp discussion arose around the definition of what exactly a “low price” is, and the mentality of newly minted landlords. Workers from the tourism sector warn that guests have become more cautious and no longer accept just any conditions. “As an employee in a tourist agency, I completely agree with this. All clients who have realistic prices from the start fill up much better, with longer reservations and generally better guests, fewer cancellations, and of course fewer problems.”
Another user described how his family manages to stay competitive, but with enormous effort: “A studio for two 100 euros a night, it’s been full from the May onwards… When Airbnb takes its commission what’s left is quite a bit less than 100, but the occupancy rate is excellent. We clean the place ourselves, greet our guests, wash the bedding… Unfortunately, today everyone would rent out apartments and have a cleaner come, a laundry service… and still make a big profit.”
In contrast to that, landlords from the same neighbourhood appeared on the same post, claiming they have no problems if they position their accommodation well: “I also have an apartment in Varoš… my prices range 150-220 euros and around 400 for Ultra, everything is filled within one day.”
what is the situation with foreign nationals renting purchased properties?
Among the slew of comments, an interesting theory about long-term changes in the structure of guests also stood out. Split and its surroundings are slowly ceasing to be a destination where foreigners exclusively rent accommodation, because many of them have become property owners themselves.
“They count the entry of foreigners into Croatia as visitors, but they don’t count how many of those foreigners already have their own properties located in Croatia. People around Omiš tell me that everything has been bought up by Slovenians, Poles and Austrians. Everyone has sold everything and that’s why the apartments are less filled up. The only ones left are the party crowd that comes to Split every now and then.”
This Reddit post from Varoš actually served as a microcosm of Split’s housing and tourism reality at the moment. While some consider a “week-long hole” in August an anomaly or a bad algorithm, others see it as a fair sobering of a market that has grown for too long on unrealistic foundations. The conclusion of the discussion remains open, but the message is clear: the time when it was enough to “just open the doors” and wait for filling at maximum prices is slowly passing. Split must face the fact that without a sustainable strategy and balancing between the needs of the local population and the real possibilities of supply, empty apartments in August will no longer be a surprise, but the rule.
