In the referendum regarding the ban on daily rental apartments in Budapest, support was given to the ban

In Budapest, the capital of Hungary, a referendum was held to ban daily rental apartment practices in the Terezvaros district, resulting in a decision to support the short-term rental ban.

Local officials in the Terezvaros neighborhood, also known as “District VI,” located in the Pest area on the eastern side of Budapest, initiated a public vote to prohibit short-term renting of residences starting in 2026. The referendum, which began on September 2 and continued until the evening of September 15, has concluded with results announced. 54% of Terezvaros residents supported the ban on daily rental practices. Among the 6,083 citizens who participated in the voting from September 2 to 15, 3,265 supported the ban, while approximately 46%, or 2,818 people, opposed it. The voter turnout rate remained at 9%.

“Businesses will be able to prepare for the change”

Tamas Soproni, the Mayor of Terezvaros, issued a statement regarding the matter, saying, “The next step will be a decision made by the representative body to implement the will of Terezvaros residents. I think it is important that the relevant decision will only take effect from January 1, 2026. This way, businesses will be able to prepare for the change. The residents of our neighborhood have set an example of how to utilize democratic tools and have made their decisions about what kind of neighborhood they want to live in.”

In Terezvaros, 7.6% of the apartments are used as short-term rental apartments.

The demand for the ban arose due to the increase in housing prices caused by short-term apartment rental practices through online platforms such as AirBnb and Booking, as well as the losses experienced by hotel businesses, which constitute a significant portion of tourism revenue in Hungary.

According to Terezvaros Municipality records, the district is home to 29,251 apartments, many of which host numerous theaters, shops, restaurants, and cafes, as well as the Hungarian State Opera. Of these apartments, 2,226, or approximately 7.6%, are used as short-term rentals.

According to Eurostat data, last year, 719 million overnight stays were booked through online platforms such as Airbnb, Booking, Expedia Group, and Tripadvisor within the European Union. Paris ranked first in this category with 19 million overnight stays, while Budapest ranked first in Central Europe with 6.7 million overnight stays.