A month in Brindisi

Italian law calls a flat let for no more than 30 days a short let, a locazione breve. It carries the national CIN on the listing, and in Puglia the regional CIS as well, and the host registers every guest with the police within 24 hours of arrival.

Beyond 30 days in a year, the lease of a home must be registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate within 30 days of signing, whatever the rent, and a lease that should be registered and is not is void. A holiday month is a tourist let, which Law 431/1998 leaves to the Civil Code and which must be in writing. A transitory lease, of up to 18 months, is for a documented need such as work or study.

For a residential lease, the deposit may not exceed three months' rent. The texts read do not settle whether that cap binds a tourist let, so agree the deposit in writing before paying it.

Lecce taxes short lets for up to seven nights: a month comes to EUR 17.50 per person at the April to October rate of EUR 2.50, or EUR 10.50 at EUR 1.50 from November to March. Ostuni taxes up to five nights: EUR 10 per person at EUR 2, or EUR 5 from January to March.

On the coast, a winter month costs nothing in tax: Otranto and Gallipoli charge only from April to October. From April to October, Otranto taxes up to seven nights at EUR 1 in a holiday home, EUR 1.50 in July and August, and Gallipoli seven nights at EUR 1, EUR 0.50 in April, May and October. Brindisi also stops at seven nights, but its current rates were unverified as of September 2026.

Lecce suits a month best, as a city with both coasts in reach. SGM lists a park and ride pass at EUR 15 a month with the bus into the centre, for the Ex Foro Boario and Largo Cimitero car parks, and monthly passes for its blue zone at EUR 80 and its green zone at EUR 40. The historic centre is closing to unauthorised cars, so a flat outside it with its own space is simpler.

Ostuni suits a quieter month. Its comune issues ZTL permits to owners and tenants of property inside the zone, which a month-long tenant can ask the host about; hotels get permits only for loading goods.

Otranto and Gallipoli suit a winter month for anyone happy with a quiet coast and no tourist tax. In summer Otranto closes streets to cars in the evening, and Gallipoli closes its old town from 11:00 until 03:00.

Every guest shows an identity document or passport at check-in, and the host verifies the guest in person or by a video link at the door. Non-EU visitors may stay 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area, and the EU Entry/Exit System has registered their short stays since 10 April 2026. A non-EU visitor arriving from another Schengen country declares presence to the questore within eight days; whether a host's registration covers that was not confirmed.

EU citizens staying more than three months register with the comune's registry office, the anagrafe.

Airbnb calls 28 nights or more a monthly stay: the first month is charged up front and released to the host 24 hours after check-in, and later months are charged 10 days before each period. Under Italian law a 28 to 30 night booking is still a short let; beyond 30 days in the year, the lease needs registering.

A listing without a CIN or, for a holiday home or B&B in Puglia, without a CIS. Both codes belong in the advert.

A self check-in by key box after an ID upload. The Interior Ministry rule, upheld in November 2025, requires the host to see the guest.

A lease over 30 days that nobody registers. Registration is due within 30 days, and an unregistered lease is void.

A flat in Lecce's old town booked with a car in mind. The centre is closing to unauthorised vehicles, and a ZTL fine of EUR 83 to 332 reaches the rental company.

Counting on a hotel permit in Ostuni. Hotels get ZTL permits only for loading goods.