Do you own a guesthouse (affittacamere) in Bologna or plan to open one? Over the last twelve months the city council, the Council of State and the Constitutional Court have all changed the picture. Here is what applies today, what is coming and what to check before you invest, with sources. English spoken.
Regional law 16/2004 defines an affittacamere as accommodation run as a business, with no more than six rooms in no more than two furnished flats in the same building, offering lodging and optional extra services. Detailed requirements are set by regional resolution 2186/2005 and later updates.
To open you need a SCIA notice to the town hall business desk, hygiene and habitability requirements, the personal requirements set by public safety law, registration with the Business Register with a VAT number, and social security registration.
The two-flat limit introduced by the 2026 budget law applies to private individuals letting without a VAT number. A guesthouse is already a business and follows the rules for accommodation businesses.
2025, first planning variant. The city introduced the B3 tourist accommodation use class and a 50 square metre minimum for new tourist lets in the centre. The regional administrative court rejected the appeals.
29 December 2025, Council of State (ruling 10361). It annulled the first variant on procedural grounds: the changes should have been republished for public comment. It did not rule on the 50 square metre limit itself. SCIA notices declared ineffective became valid again and the previous rules applied.
December 2025 and July 2026, second variant. The city council took it up in December and adopted it on 31 July 2026, after 101 objections. It creates “areas protecting the liveability of the city centre”: where short lets are already too many, such as inside the Cerchia dei Mille, the B3 use will no longer be granted; elsewhere it will be encouraged. Family-run bed and breakfast in the owner’s own home stays outside B3.
9 October 2026, Constitutional Court (ruling 164/2026). It struck down articles 4 and 5 of regional law 10/2025: forcing every short let across the whole region into the tourist accommodation use class is disproportionate, and unfair compared with guesthouses and holiday homes, which can stay in the residential class. The Court confirmed that regions and cities can still adopt targeted measures for specific areas.
October 2026, the city’s response. According to the city’s planning councillor the ruling does not affect the second variant, because B3 already includes both short lets and non-hotel accommodation. The variant is now with the metropolitan planning committee; final approval is expected between late 2026 and early 2027. In the centre short lets average around 12% of homes, up to 25% in some blocks.
Yes. The regional rules have not changed. Until the second variant is finally approved, the open question is planning: in the busiest parts of the centre a new B3 use may no longer be available.
No. It struck down two articles of regional law 10/2025. The city’s second variant is a separate instrument, and the Court confirmed that cities can adopt targeted measures for specific areas.
Up to six, in no more than two furnished flats in the same building.
Yes. In Emilia-Romagna a guesthouse is run as a business and registered with the Business Register.
No. A family-run B&B in the owner’s home follows different rules and, according to the city, stays outside the new B3 class.
Yes. With management on the owner’s behalf the SCIA and VAT number stay yours: we handle pricing, channels, guests and compliance and report every month.
We tell you what to check about the area and run the numbers room by room before you commit capital. The first review is free.
This guide is for information only and does not replace advice from a surveyor or a lawyer. City rules are changing: updated 1 November 2026.