The costliest mistakes for anyone renting out a holiday home in northern Sardinia are publishing without a CIN (Italy's national identification code for holiday lets) and IUN (the regional code), not having gas and carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers, doing self check-in with only a keybox, and getting the tax wrong. The first three can lead to penalties of hundreds to thousands of euros; the other mistakes, from the wrong listing to postponed maintenance, are paid for in lost reviews and bookings.
Since 2011 we have managed holiday homes in Porto Torres, Stintino, Alghero, Castelsardo and Gallura, and these are the mistakes we see most often. We have divided them into four groups: rules, safety and guests, tax, management.
| Mistake | What you risk | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Listing without a CIN or CIN not displayed | €800 to €8,000 if there is no CIN; €500 to €5,000 if it is not displayed or shown, plus removal of the listing | Request the IUN and CIN before publishing and show both |
| No gas/CO detectors or extinguishers | €600 to €6,000 per violation | Install them in every home, at least one extinguisher per floor |
| Self check-in with only a keybox | Invalid identification; failing to report to the Questura (police headquarters) is a criminal offence | Recognition in person or by live video call |
| Skipping ROSS1000 (Sardinia's regional tourism statistics portal) or the tourist tax | Missed obligations to the Region and the Comune; uncollected tax remains your responsibility | Send the data for every stay and read the Comune's regulation |
| Believing the portal's withholding settles everything | Undeclared income, cross-checked with the portals' data | Declare all the rent and deduct the withholding |
| Renting out three apartments as a private individual | Business activity without a SCIA (notice of commencement of business): €2,000 to €10,000 | Count your homes with the accountant (commercialista) before the season |
| A listing that promises too much | Negative reviews and refunds | Real distances, current photos, limits clearly written |
| Short season and fixed prices | Months with the home empty | A different calendar and prices for each period |
| Postponed maintenance | Breakdowns in full season | Checks in spring and at the end of the season |
| No local contact person | Unresolved problems, dissatisfied guests | A person who can be reached and is close to the home |
Every short-let home must have the CIN, the national code requested on the Ministry of Tourism database with SPID or CIE (Italian digital identity credentials). In Sardinia you also need the regional IUN code, to be obtained before the CIN and shown together with it. Both must be written in every listing, on any portal, and the CIN must be displayed outside the building. From 20 May 2026 the portals remove listings without a valid CIN. For private individuals renting one or two homes, notification to the Comune (municipality) is also required: the forms change from Comune to Comune, so check the website of the SUAPE (the municipal one-stop shop for business activities) of Porto Torres, Sassari, Stintino or your own Comune.
Many owners send guest data to the Questura and think they are done. In Sardinia, however, every stay must also be reported to the Region for statistics, through the ROSS1000 system (formerly SIRED): they are two separate obligations. Then there is the tourist tax, which depends on the Comune: if your Comune has introduced it, you are the one who collects and pays it, unless the portal has a direct agreement with the Comune. Read the municipal regulation before the season, not after.
It is not advice, it is an obligation for every short-let home, even for private individuals: working detectors for combustible gases and carbon monoxide and compliant extinguishers, of at least 6 kg or 6 litres, at least one per floor, in a visible position. A two-storey villa in Stintino therefore needs at least two. The fine ranges from €600 to €6,000 per violation, but above all these are devices that protect your guests. Check the batteries and expiry date at the start of every season.
“Blind” self check-in, with the key box code sent after receiving documents via chat, is not enough. After Council of State ruling no. 9101 of 21 November 2025, identification must take place in person or remotely in real time, for example by video call, checking that the face matches the document. The data must then be sent via Alloggiati Web (the police portal for registering guests) within 24 hours of arrival, and within 6 hours if the stay lasts only one night. Omitting the report is a criminal offence. The full rules are in the guide to the regulations on short lets in Sardinia.
When the portal collects the payment, it withholds 21% and issues you the Certificazione Unica (CU, the annual tax certificate) by 16 March. But since 2024 that withholding is only an advance: the rent must always be declared and the withholding is deducted from the taxes. If the guest pays you directly, there is no withholding but the declaration is still required. Remember that the portals report to the tax authorities every year how much you have collected, with no minimum thresholds for rentals.
In 2026 the cedolare secca (Italy's flat-rate tax on rental income) on short lets is 21% for one home, of your choice, and 26% for the others. From the third apartment rented short-term in the same year, the activity is by law considered a business: you need a partita IVA (VAT number) and a SCIA at the SUAPE, and the private-individual cedolare can no longer be used. Be careful with inherited or jointly owned homes: the counting has not yet been clarified. Find out more in our guide to the taxation of holiday homes and talk to the accountant before opening the calendar.
“A stone's throw from the sea” for a home ten minutes away by car, photos taken before the sofas wore out, not a word about the stairs: these are the phrases that generate the worst reviews. Write real distances, on foot or by car, and the limits of the home. An apartment in the old town of Castelsardo has a splendid view but often many steps and distant parking: if you know that beforehand, you choose it for what it is.
Opening only in July and August with the same price all summer is one of the most widespread mistakes, especially in Gallura and Stintino, where demand in May, June and September is real. Prices must be adapted to the period and to demand. We discuss it in detail in Outside July and August.
By the sea a home wears out quickly: salt spoils window frames, railings and air-conditioner motors, the mistral brings sand everywhere, and a home closed all winter can reopen with damp and mould. The right time for checks is spring, before the first guest, and the end of the season. A boiler breaking down on the Saturday of Ferragosto (15 August), with the firms closed, always costs more.
Managing a home in Porto Torres from Milan or Munich works as long as everything goes well. But when a lock jams or the power goes off you need someone a few minutes away. And guests need local information: for example, that in 2026 La Pelosa beach, in Stintino, had limited access from 15 May to 15 October, with booking and a ticket of €3.50. You will find the details in the guide to beaches with limited access in northern Sardinia.
The full list is in our checklist for renting out a holiday home in Sardinia.
Publishing the listing without a CIN: the fine ranges from €800 to €8,000 and the portals remove listings without a valid CIN. In Sardinia it must be shown together with the regional IUN code.
Only after identifying the guest in person or by live video call. After Council of State ruling no. 9101/2025, sending documents via chat together with the key box code is not enough.
Working gas and carbon monoxide detectors and extinguishers of at least 6 kg or 6 litres, at least one per floor. They apply to every short-let home, even for private individuals.
From 2026, with three or more apartments rented short-term in the same year: you need a partita IVA and a SCIA, and you cannot use the cedolare secca as a private individual.
Yes. The 21% withholding taken by the portal is only an advance: the rent must be declared and the withholding is deducted from the taxes due.
If you prefer not to worry about codes, reports, guests and maintenance, we can take care of it: since 2011 we have looked after holiday homes all over northern Sardinia, from our office in Porto Torres. We start with a free valuation of your home. Submit your home to AffittaSardegna and we will get back to you.
The tax and regulatory information is general in nature and up to date as of October 2026: for your specific situation, check with your accountant.
