NYC Local Law 18

Jamaica’s parliament opened debate on a short-term rental oversight bill in the first half of 2025, while Tax Administration Jamaica issued updated GCT guidance for vacation rental hosts, the EU’s landmark STR transparency regulation began implementation, and New York City marked two years of its disruptive Local Law 18.

Jamaica posted record H1 2024 tourism revenue as its unregulated STR sector grew unabated, Canada’s landmark Budget 2024 restricted STR tax deductions with implications for diaspora investors, the EU’s STR transparency regulation moved toward enforcement, and New York City’s Local Law 18 reshaped urban vacation rental markets globally.

The second half of 2023 delivered three landmark global events: New York City’s short-term rental registration law took effect in September and eliminated 85% of entire-home Airbnb listings; Barcelona’s mayor announced a 2028 phase-out of all tourist apartment licences; and the EU passed its landmark STR transparency regulation in December. Jamaica closed a record tourism year with its informal vacation rental sector estimated at more than 12,000 active units and still unregulated.

New York City’s council voted in January 2023 to enforce its landmark STR registration law, setting a September effective date that would reshape global platform regulation. Jamaica’s H1 2023 tourism arrivals surpassed pre-pandemic records as the unregulated Airbnb sector expanded rapidly, drawing fresh scrutiny from the JTB and Tax Administration Jamaica. Barcelona’s mayoral election pivoted partly on STR reform, and Caribbean digital nomad competition intensified.