Meridian · Freshness tracker

What's changed.

Dated updates to visa, tax, residency, citizenship, housing, and labour policy across every country tracked. Every entry cites its primary source and the date we last verified it.

Subscribe via RSS ↗ · 20 entries shown

Country All countriesAQAntarcticaAUAustraliaBRBrazilCACanadaCNChina (Mainland)EGEgyptFRFranceDEGermanyHKHong KongIEIrelandITItalyJPJapanMXMexicoMAMoroccoNLNetherlandsNZNew ZealandPTPortugalSGSingaporeZASouth AfricaKRSouth KoreaESSpainAEUnited Arab EmiratesGBUnited KingdomUSUnited States
Category All categoriesVisa & immigrationResidencyCitizenshipTaxationLabourHousingHealthcareOther
In force 9 Nov 2028
Announced Housing
ESSpain

Barcelona tourist-flat licences to lapse by November 2028

The Ajuntament de Barcelona announced in June 2024 that it would not renew any of the approximately 10,100 existing tourist-rental (HUT) licences in the city when they expire by 9 November 2028, effectively ending short-term holiday rentals within Barcelona. Regional bodies published implementing decisions through 2024-2025.

Who it affects: Owners of licensed tourist flats in Barcelona; long-term rental supply expected to rise.

Ministerio de Vivienda y Agenda Urbana ↗ · Gobierno de España — La Moncloa ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 1 Jul 2025
In force Housing
ESSpain

National short-term rental registry (Registro Único de Alquileres) mandatory

From 1 July 2025 all operators of short-term rental accommodation (Airbnb, Booking, direct-bookings) must register with the national Registro Único de Alquileres and display the registry number in listings. Designed to enforce licensing compliance in major tourist cities. Related municipal moratoria (notably Barcelona's plan to eliminate tourist rental licences by 2028) continue separately.

Who it affects: Short-term rental hosts and tourist-accommodation operators.

BOE — Boletín Oficial del Estado (Spanish Official Gazette) ↗ · La Moncloa — Spanish Government ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2025
Announced Housing
DEGermany

Federal Mietpreisbremse (rent-rise cap) extension proposal

The federal government proposed extending the Mietpreisbremse — which caps new-contract rents in tight-market cities at 10% above the local reference rent — until 2029. The existing legal basis was otherwise set to expire in 2025; Länder retain authority over which districts are designated.

Who it affects: Renters signing new tenancy contracts in designated tight-market areas across Germany.

Bundesministerium für Wohnen, Stadtentwicklung und Bauwesen ↗ · Bundesregierung (Federal Government) ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 1 Jan 2025
In force Housing
ITItaly

Superbonus 110% construction tax credit wound down

The generous 110% Superbonus tax credit for energy-efficient home renovations — a major driver of Italian construction activity 2020–2023 and a material fiscal cost — was progressively reduced through Law Decree 39/2024. From 1 January 2025, the credit rate drops to 65% for qualifying works in most cases, with earlier rates retained only for narrow categories (villages hit by 2016 earthquakes, some condominium works pre-existing at 17 February 2023).

Who it affects: Property owners planning renovations; construction-sector employment and cost of renovation services.

Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian Official Gazette) ↗ · Agenzia delle Entrate ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Nov 2024
In force Housing
PTPortugal

Partial rollback of Mais Habitação under Construir Portugal plan

The Montenegro government's Construir Portugal housing plan partially rolled back several Mais Habitação provisions: the compulsory-leasing mechanism for long-empty properties and certain rental-market interventions were reversed or softened; short-term-let tax treatment adjusted; incentives re-weighted toward construction-side supply measures. Further legislative detail rolled through 2024–2025.

Who it affects: Landlords, investors, and tenants in Portuguese urban markets; further adjustments expected.

Portuguese Government Portal ↗ · Diário da República ↗ · verified 2026-04-18

In force 1 Sept 2024
In force Housing
ITItaly

National short-term-rental registration (CIN) required

The Codice Identificativo Nazionale (CIN) for short-term rentals and tourist-accommodation listings was introduced by the 2024 budget law and rolled out nationally from September 2024. Landlords must register each property and display the CIN on all listings; enforcement against unregistered listings began in 2025.

Who it affects: Short-term rental landlords in Italy; indirect on long-term rental supply.

Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana ↗ · Governo Italiano ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 1 Jul 2024
In force Housing
NLNetherlands

Wet betaalbare huur — mid-segment rent regulation extended

The Wet betaalbare huur extended the points-based rent-cap system to the "middenhuur" segment (rents €880-€1,157 range in 2024 points) from 1 July 2024. Landlords exceeding the point-allowed rent in regulated contracts face enforcement. Applies primarily to new contracts; existing contracts transition over time.

Who it affects: Renters signing new private-sector contracts in the mid-rent segment.

Ministerie van Volkshuisvesting en Ruimtelijke Ordening ↗ · Rijksoverheid ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 1 Jul 2024
In force Housing
KRSouth Korea

Chonse (key-money) deposit-protection reforms continued

Following the 2022–2023 chonse-fraud crisis, additional tenant-protection rules were implemented from July 2024 — strengthened landlord disclosure, mandatory deposit-insurance for high-value chonse contracts, and improved Hi Korea-linked verification for non-Korean tenants. Practical effect: more documentation friction at lease signing, but better deposit security.

Who it affects: Tenant-protection updates affecting non-Korean residents using the chonse rental system.

Korea Ministry of Justice ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 May 2024
In force Housing
MXMexico

Mexico City Condesa/Roma gentrification — rental-price monitoring introduced

Mexico City administration introduced a rental-price monitoring system in designated gentrification-affected alcaldías (Cuauhtémoc, Benito Juárez) from mid-2024 in response to political pressure from long-term tenants displaced by short-term-let and remote-worker demand. Does not impose rent caps — operates as a transparency and enforcement mechanism for existing tenancy law.

Who it affects: Tenants and landlords in specific gentrification-affected zones of Mexico City.

Diario Oficial de la Federación ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Apr 2024
In force Housing
FRFrance

Rent-adjustment shield (bouclier loyer) extended through March 2024

The "bouclier loyer" — which capped the legal reference IRL rent-update index at 3.5% in mainland France — was extended through its final applicable quarter ending 31 March 2024. From the second quarter of 2024 the full IRL indexation resumed for new contract anniversaries.

Who it affects: Tenants on indexed rental contracts through 2022-Q1 2024.

Légifrance ↗ · Service-Public.fr ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 13 Mar 2024
In force Housing
ESSpain

Reference rental-price index published for tight-market zones

The Ministerio de Vivienda y Agenda Urbana published the "sistema estatal de referencia del precio del alquiler de vivienda" on 13 March 2024. Under the Ley por el Derecho a la Vivienda, Autonomous Communities that designate "zonas tensionadas" may cap new-contract rents in those zones at reference-index levels for large landlords. Catalonia was first to apply the rule; uptake elsewhere has been uneven.

Who it affects: Renters and landlords in designated tight-market zones (primarily Catalonia in 2024-2025).

Ministerio de Vivienda y Agenda Urbana ↗ · Boletín Oficial del Estado ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Housing
ITItaly

One-euro-house programmes extended in southern and inland municipalities

The long-running municipal "case a 1 euro" schemes — selling abandoned village properties for token amounts in exchange for renovation commitments — continue to expand in southern and inland Italy. 2024 saw new participating municipalities in Sicily, Sardinia, and Abruzzo. Note: the nominal €1 price is almost always misleading — buyers must commit to renovation budgets typically €20,000–€60,000 within set timeframes and post bonds. Tax-deductibility of renovation work via the (now-ending) Superbonus continues to distort the market.

Who it affects: Lifestyle movers and second-home buyers considering rural southern-Italy property.

Governo Italiano ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Housing
IEIreland

Rent Pressure Zones extended to end-2025 with 2% cap

The Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) regime, which caps annual rent increases in designated areas at the lower of 2% or inflation, was extended to the end of 2025 by the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2023. An announced post-RPZ system in mid-2025 replaces RPZs with a national rent-cap framework from 2026 but without abolishing the 2% rule.

Who it affects: Tenants in RPZ-designated areas (most of Ireland); landlords in those areas.

Government of Ireland ↗ · Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Housing
FRFrance

Paris rent-control framework extended to 2026

The encadrement des loyers regime in Paris — capping new-contract rents at the median reference rent ±20% — was renewed through the 2024-2025 period and extended to 2026 by ministerial decree. Similar frameworks operate in Lille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Montpellier, and several Ile-de-France communes.

Who it affects: Tenants and landlords in Paris and other regulated communes.

Légifrance ↗ · Service-Public.fr ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Housing
PTPortugal

Rental-update coefficient capped amid rent-increase controls

The annual lawful rent-update coefficient was administratively capped at a sub-inflation rate (around 6.94% for 2024, versus an uncapped figure closer to 10%), building on the 2022-2023 emergency rental measures under Mais Habitação. Landlords unable to apply the full IPC-linked increase were compensated via IRS credits.

Who it affects: Tenants in existing contracts; landlords seeing reduced rent-rise headroom.

IHRU — Instituto da Habitação e Reabilitação Urbana ↗ · Diário da República Eletrónico ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Housing
DEGermany

Gebäudeenergiegesetz ("Heating Act") enters force

The amended Gebäudeenergiegesetz came into force on 1 January 2024. Most newly installed heating systems in new-build areas must use at least 65% renewable energy. Transition rules staggered by municipality size tie the full rollout in existing buildings to local heat-planning deadlines (mid-2026 for large cities, mid-2028 elsewhere).

Who it affects: Homeowners replacing boilers; renters via modernisation allocations; new-build buyers.

Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz ↗ · Bundesregierung (Federal Government) ↗ · Bundesgesetzblatt (Federal Law Gazette) ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 1 Nov 2023
In force Housing
EGEgypt

Foreign property ownership rules liberalised

Amendments to foreign property ownership rules effective late 2023 — streamlined approvals for foreign real-estate purchases, expanded geographic zones where foreign ownership is permitted (previously restricted in certain coastal and border areas), and maximum 2-property limit per foreign individual. Residence-status benefits for foreign property-owners above specified investment thresholds.

Who it affects: Foreign property investors and residents considering ownership.

General Authority for Investment and Free Zones ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 7 Oct 2023
In force Housing
PTPortugal

Mais Habitação housing-reform law enters force

Lei n.º 56/2023 (Mais Habitação) enters force on 7 October 2023 with multiple provisions: tightened short-term-rental (Alojamento Local, AL) licensing — including moratorium on new licences in Lisbon, Porto, and stress-market parishes; rental-price caps on new contracts in designated stressed markets; municipal powers to convert long-empty properties to social use; and restructuring of the Golden Visa (see separate entry).

Who it affects: Landlords, prospective landlords, short-term-let operators, and tenants in stressed urban markets.

Diário da República ↗ · Portuguese Government Portal ↗ · verified 2026-04-18

In force 14 Sept 2023
In force Housing
CACanada

GST removed on new rental-apartment construction

The federal government removed the 5% GST on new purpose-built rental-apartment construction with effect from 14 September 2023 through 31 December 2030. Most provinces mirrored the change on their portion of HST. Intended to increase rental-housing supply at a time of rapid population growth.

Who it affects: Long-term rental supply; indirectly renters via future rental-market conditions.

Government of Canada ↗ · Canada Revenue Agency ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 26 May 2023
In force Housing
ESSpain

Housing Law (Ley 12/2023) creates "tensioned" rental-market zones

Ley por el Derecho a la Vivienda entered force on 26 May 2023. Introduced the "zonas de mercado residencial tensionado" (tensioned residential-market zones), rent-price caps for large landlords in designated zones, and tax incentives for long-term letting. Implementation is opt-in at the autonomous-community level — Catalonia has activated it widely; Madrid has not. Directly affects rental-market dynamics in major Spanish cities.

Who it affects: Tenants and landlords in designated tensioned zones (notably Barcelona).

BOE — Boletín Oficial del Estado (Spanish Official Gazette) ↗ · La Moncloa — Spanish Government ↗ · verified 2026-04-19