Nearly 59% of participants in a public consultation in Budapest’s historic Castle District have backed a complete ban on short-term apartment rentals, adding momentum to a broader regulatory crackdown on Airbnb-style accommodation across the Hungarian capital.
The online vote in District I attracted 4,503 residents, representing 21% of the district’s 21,450 eligible voters, according to results announced by Mayor László Böröcz on October 8. Support for a ban was particularly strong in the Buda Castle area, where more than 66% of participants voted to prohibit tourist apartment rentals.
A total of 2,637 participants, or 58.6%, supported a complete prohibition. Another 18% favoured tighter operating conditions, while 23.4% wanted short-term rentals to continue without additional restrictions.
New regulations could reach the council in November
The consultation does not automatically introduce a ban. District officials will use the results alongside an impact assessment to draft new local regulations, which could be submitted to the municipal council in November.
District I includes Buda Castle, one of Budapest’s most important tourist destinations, where residential buildings coexist with hotels, holiday apartments and major cultural attractions. The area’s popularity with visitors has made short-term accommodation an increasingly sensitive issue for local residents.
Budapest already has its first Airbnb-free district
District I could follow Terézváros, Budapest’s District VI, which introduced a complete ban on private short-term accommodation on January 1, 2026. The restriction followed a local referendum and was upheld by Hungary’s Supreme Court, the Kúria. Municipal authorities subsequently began enforcement inspections.
District XIII has consulted residents on a proposal requiring apartment-building communities to approve short-term tourist rentals. The district estimates that 1,100–1,200 apartments are currently used for this purpose.
District VIII, Józsefváros, is also preparing restrictions, with a municipal decision expected later in October. At city level, a moratorium introduced in January 2025 prevents new short-term rental registrations until December 31, 2026.
Nearly 10,000 Budapest apartments used for short-term rentals
According to an analysis published by Hungarian property portal Ingatlan.com in May, approximately 9,800 apartments in Budapest were being used for Airbnb-style accommodation, equivalent to around 1% of the capital’s housing stock.
Data published by Hungarian economic outlet G7 in October shows that District VII alone accounted for approximately 32% of Budapest’s short-term rental supply in August 2026. District I had approximately 390 such properties, according to AirDNA data cited by G7.
