How to run an Airbnb in Sicily

Whether you already own a Sicilian property that often sits empty, are planning to buy a second home or want to get into the region’s booming tourist market as an investment strategy, renting a property to tourists will be on your mind. Sicily’s a great region to do this in, as it has far fewer restrictions than other Mediterranean markets. You can cover the property’s costs and more.

 

Of course, you want to do this in the most organised and – let’s be honest – profitable way. With that in mind, we’re here to explain exactly what’s involved in renting property to visitors here. We’ll also talk about a way we can make your life even simpler and more predictable.

Buy a Holiday Home to Earn Passive Income

Sicily is the ideal place to buy a holiday home that pays for itself. In contrast with tightening regulations in other Mediterranean markets like Spain and Portugal, the Italian government has supported the right of home-owners to make money from short-term letting.

 

Tourism in Sicily an excellent market to get into because it’s growing so fast. In 2024, for example, 21.5 million visitors arrived here, up 4.2% year-on-year. Interestingly, this wasn’t all concentrated on the summer season – the first six months saw a huge 11.4% rise. Nor is this growth exclusively limited to traditional tourist hubs like Palermo and Taormina – we’re seeing growth across the whole island, and throughout the whole calendar.

 

We think the hybrid model is the perfect one. If you’re buying a vacation property, why not let it generate some cash to cover its expenses when you can’t use it yourself? And if you’re planning to invest in a tourist rental, why not get one somewhere you’d like to spend time too? The region’s huge advantage is that its incredible sunny climate makes year-round visits a reality. For us, the perfect time to come to Sicily is actually October, when the sea is still warm enough to swim in but the crowds have gone home and the beaches return to public use. That’s two months after the peak season has finished. So you can cash in through July and August then enjoy a more authentic experience with the locals afterwards.

In order to start your research you can try our easy-to-use Property Search Engine. You can sort by some of the filters mentioned above.

Some people of course prefer to do their own research on other sites and come to us during one of the later steps. We are a family company, which lets us stay super-flexible so don’t worry at all – it’s never too late in the process to ask for our advice or services.

If you do decide to enlist our support, we would be delighted to help find your dream property in Sicily, negotiate the best possible price, keep the entire process free of unpleasant surprises, handle translations and establish the terms and conditions of the purchase.  In short, we are here for you every step along the way to your purchase in Sicily. And if you feel more comfortable in s, we recommend to read our extensive article.

Three Tips to Maximise Returns from your Sicilian Property Purchase

If you already own the home you’ll use to run an Airbnb in Sicily, you can probably skip this section. If you’re still exploring the market, however, you’ll be glad that you didn’t! We asked our in-house expert on tourism in Sicily, Fabian Gruessener, for his three top tips to get the best return on your outlay.

 

Fabian says:

1) Four beds good, more beds better!

The market for micro properties is saturated. If you want to stand out from the crowds, get a place that can sleep four or more. Flexibility is a help too – prospective guests can search sites like Airbnb and Booking.com not just for the number of visitors a property can accommodate but how many physical beds there are. So by all means put a double in the master bedroom, but elsewhere, twins that can be pushed together or separated give you a bigger client base.

 

2) Let the Sunshine In

As we mentioned above, people who choose Sicily for their holiday do so to top up on their vitamin D! That means they expect a bright house with outdoor spaces. Be aware that a lot of ground floor properties in the old towns of big cities get almost no natural light, and if you can afford a sea-view balcony or terrace, that’s obviously the perfect scenario. If not, remember that Sicilian roof tiles, mostly curved and in a lovely terracotta tone that glows in the sunshine, make a impressive spectacle for newcomers to the island – if you can get the tallest spot in a town or neighbourhood the view will be great almost by accident!

3) Location or Luxury

If you can, limit your search to areas that you know is already popular with tourists. Examples would be the old town of Palermo or Catania, the bustling beach of Mondello, the exclusive coastline of Sant’Elia and Santa Flavia and historic landmarks like Cefalù and Taormina. We love quieter areas like the Nebrodi Park, and it’s true that you can find real estate for unbelievably low prices there – but part of their appeal is the lower tourist flows. If you buy away from recognised destinations and want to earn from your property, be sure the house is of a high standard. Maybe it has a swimming pool or sauna, or maybe it can sleep a very high number of guests. In short, outside tourist areas, people only rent if there is luxury on offer.

In the areas Fabian mentioned, even a two-bedroom flat can generate a gross income of between €20,000 and €25,000 per year. In the case of particularly elegant or well-furnished apartments, especially with a third bedroom, this can even reach €30-€35,000.

 

While such eye-catching sums will no doubt have set your minds and pulses racing, be sure to remember that you will probably end up with around half of this once your expenses are covered. You will have to pay taxes, obviously, plus utility bills and routine maintenance expenses. You will inevitably need to list the property on a portal like Airbnb or Booking.com, and these will take dramatic commissions. If you aren’t able to manage all the logistics yourself and use a rental manager to do so, that will obviously incur another charge. But even if you do, that still leaves about 50% of the income left over as profit or reinvestable capital.

Although a long-term rental obviously has its advantages in terms of simplicity and the chance to build a long-term relationship, we have to say that the figures above are much higher than what you would expect to earn from a residential letting.

 

It’s also worth bearing in mind that Italy has extremely tenant-friendly laws governing these contracts, and, if something goes wrong you could face up to two years without income as the eviction process plays out through the courts. Quite aside from all that drama – if you choose to rent short-term you can use the property as much as you want!

Let’s say you’ve decided to take the short-term rental route, and you want to maximise your net income by not using a rental manager. Here’s what you’ll need to take care of to stay in regola (‘within the law’) when letting out your property:

 

Register with the State Police

– You will need to visit your local office of the Polizia Statale to obtain a username and password to use the online platform for registering guests. This is called Alloggiati.

 

Register to Collect and Pay Tourist Tax

– Local authorities levy a small tax on holidaymakers, and this needs to be collected when they stay (professional tip: make sure they know this clearly in advance or you can expect some confused and angry reactions when you ask for it).

– You’ll have to provide the following documents:

  • Title deed
  • Land registry certificate
  • Cadastral plan
  • Owner’s document and tax code
  • Certificate of occupancy

– Issue a receipt for the tourist tax to each guest who pays it.

– N.B. If the property has any building violations at all, it cannot be rented out. So you’ll need to check plans and documentation thoroughly. If you need help with this we can introduce you to a specialist professional.

 

Obtain a CIR (Codice Identificativo Regionale)

– This ‘regional identification code’ can be requested the Regional Tourism Department website by filling in the required forms and attaching the same documentation used for the tourist tax.

– The Region usually issues it within 30 days.

 

Obtain a CIN (Codice Identificativo Nazionale)

– This works much like the CIR, but on a national level. Unfortunately you need to apply for them separately.
– You can request it at the Post Office here. You will need a SPID to do so. Not sure what a SPID is? Read more here.
– The property will need an external sign with its name, CIR and CIN all clearly displayed.

 

Provide Mandatory Safety Equipment

– You will need to make sure your property has:

  • Fire extinguisher
  • First aid kit
  • Smoke detector
  • Gas detector
  • Emergency exit sign

 Check You’re in Line with Municipal By-laws

– Some local councils give landlords extra responsibilities. You can find a good list of ones relevant to our region in Airbnb’s guide to renting to tourists in Sicily

 

Create a Contract

– Even short term leases should be covered by a contract of Locazione Turistica, or ‘tourist rental’. This must be in writing. Unless you are operating a rental property as a company (in which case an invoice is will suffice) you will need a unique contract for each booking.

– If the stay is over 30 days the contract needs to be registered with the tax office.

– You can find a sample of this contract in English through the website of the Milan chamber of commerce.

 

Register Guests on Turistat the Day they Arrive and Leave

– It’s obligatory to record all guests who check into and out of your property within 24 hours of their arrival and departure. You will be expected to provide scans of their ID as well as inputting their personal details into the database.
– This platform requires its own login details and is also only available in Italian.

– Failing to keep this up-to-date will incur heavy penalties.

 

Pay the Tourist Tax to the Local Council

– You’ll need to stay up-to-date every 3 months

– By 31 January: send Form 21 to the local council via certified email

– By 30 June: send the declaration of tourist tax collected to the Revenue Agency

Paying Income Tax on Rental Bookings

One helpful change to the system which came into effect in January 2025 is that the main reservation portals (including Booking, Airbnb, and Expedia) have become tax substitutes on behalf of owners.

 

This means that they will retain the income tax due on each booking and pay it directly to the government. Of course, For this to be possible, the owner must provide the portals with a series of mandatory documents, including the CIN, CIR and your title deed.

 

If you are renting out a single property this is levied at 21%. For your second to fourth short-term rental properties you will need to pay 26%.

Anything above this will require you to open a Partita IVA, the Italian tax code for small businesses and sole traders.

 

Remember that we aren’t qualified ourselves to give tax advice, but can always help you find a reputable accountant or tax lawyer who speaks your language.

Of course, meeting your legal obligations is only half of the story. Here are some other aspects of renting out property to tourists that you’ll want to keep in mind.

 

Advertising

– Choose which portals you want to use. If you register with many you will give yourself better odds of attracting visitors but you’ll have more admin to avoid double-bookings. Some sites are more expensive than others but this will usually be reflected in their reach. Do a bit of research on the insurance coverage they offer as this varies too, and could be very important. Especially at the start it might be a good investment to pay for a premium listing that will put your home in the shop window, but be sure to set yourself a budget and stick to it.
– Describe your home honestly and in detail. Make sure to keep your contact information up-to-date so that when someone sends you a question about it you can reply promptly. They will probably be considering other homes and every minute can count. After you reply, consider adding that information to your listing to save yourself time in future.
– Use high quality photos and videos. Take the time to get the lighting and decoration right. Remember that the main photo might be all your prospective guests even look at.
– Be transparent about your house rules. Consider creating policies on smoking, pets, waste disposal and noise – these are the most common sources of disputes that can lead to bad reviews.

 

Preparing the Home

– Ask yourself what you would like to find in a holiday home, and balance that with your budget and pricing. It is lovely to find toiletries and cooking supplies like oil and condiments, but some guests will take advantage of this. Look for solutions like small containers and coffee pods that create a positive impression without giving them too much rope.
– If you also use the property yourselves you will need to move personal effects into a storage space that your guests can’t access.
– Make sure that they are able to easily get their hands on cleaning supplies, including washing-up liquid and bin bags.
– Creating a manual for the home with answers to the most frequently asked questions can seem like it would save a lot of time in the long run don’t expect every guest to take the time to read it! Individual signs on complicated equipment like a WiFi router may be a better route. Put your most important rules on display in a space where they can’t be missed.
– Any little touches you can add to personalise the experience will be greatly appreciated. A bottle of drinking water in the fridge, maybe even a local wine or some snacks go a long way to making a great first impression.

 

Check-ins and Check-outs

– More and more travellers are becoming comfortable with self check-ins. You can invest in a smart lock or a simple lockbox, and it will save you a lot of hassle in the long run. Make sure to send photos that explain the process clearly.
– Assume that any guest could arrive two hours before they tell you, or two hours afterwards! Ask them to send a message when they’re half an hour away, but be prepared for them to forget this. You might want to be proactive and contact them first.
– Remember that you can always schedule a time to meet your guests after they’ve arrived, which will give you the chance to confirm their identity and build rapport.

– Give them advice on where to park if you don’t have a space reserved for them.
– Do you want to take a security deposit? It can ensure against losses, but you’ll need to think about how and when it gets back to them. It may also put some guests off as not every property does this. The same is true for charging for extras like power usage. Can you persuade visitors not to leave the air conditioning on with the windows wide open? If not, consider checking the meter with them at check-in and check-out. 
– Have an inventory of your home and contents, and run through it after every guest leaves.

 

Cleaning and Maintenance

– Even in the small-scale apartment rental sector tourists now expect professional-level cleaning. Be realistic about how much time (if you’re doing this yourself) or money (if you’re hiring someone else to) this will take.
– It’s better to have slightly earlier check-out times and slightly later check-in ones and be able to appear helpful by showing flexibility than to start off with generosity and leave yourself short of time for same-day changeovers.
– You’ll need to be rigorous when checking things like plumbing, air conditioning, locks and electrical appliances to reduce the chance of emergencies in the middle of guests’ stay. Be more proactive than you might be in your own home.

– As you’ll know if you’ve visited the country yourself, Italy has strict laws regarding waste disposal and recycling. Don’t risk costly fines by giving your guests too much scope to manage this yourself. Go the extra mile in explaining schedules and routines, and get the biggest and most obvious containers for sorting rubbish that your apartment or villa can hold.

This is… a lot. To run an Airbnb in Sicily is a really big task, and a daunting one to start. We understand that fact completely, because we’ve been there, done that, got the t-shirt (and sometimes the fines for not understanding things the first time around!). You could run the digital part from afar and entrust the cleaning and check-ins to a local, but that comes with it’s own risks, and if you’re employing someone there’s a lot more admin to do (and taxes to pay) to stay within the law. So it’s a big task.

But we can help, and help a lot.

Our sister company Solemar Sicilia exists expressly to take up to 90% of this weight off your shoulders. Depending on the location of your property, we can take care of everything from bureaucracy to bedsheets. Where we can’t complete a task ourselves we can talk you through what you need to do in language you understand.

 

Market Leaders with International Business Practices

In 2025, Solemar Sicilia managed 150 properties for vacation lettings, hosting a total of over 15,000 guests. Every single one of these maintained a rating of over 8.0 on Booking.com, with nearly rated ‘Superb’ at over 9.0. Reviews on Airbnb and Expedia were even better, averaging over 4.8/5 across the two platforms.

The organisation was profiled by Italy’s second-largest newspaper, Repubblica, as an industry standard-bearer in Palermo in their 2025 article, which dubbed it one of the Lords of the B&B.

Making complete transparency and effective communication their priority, the organisation is now one of the best-regarded vacation rental management services to be found anywhere in Sicily.

 

From Listing to Check-out: The Complete Package

The service is comprehensive. They provide expert valuation and market analysis to help you create a listing and price policy that will maximise your home’s income and profitability. A team of trusted collaborators combine to provide maintenance and cleaning services, welcome guests at check-in and are on call for them throughout the stay. All you need to do is sign off on the plan and pay a commission of 30%, calculated net of cleaning costs and platform commissions. So you keep three quarters of what you earn while saving untold hours.

As an added bonus, you can be certain that when you arrive to use the property yourselves, you will find it sparkling clean and in full working order, meaning that you can use your holiday for exactly what it should be used for – unwinding in the sunshine with your loved ones.

 

Conclusions: Property in Sicily and Solemar Sicilia Make a Perfect Partnership

Letting your second home when you can’t use it yourself is a common-sense move that can cover all the running costs of the property as well as recouping some of your initial capital investment. An inhabited home is also a safer one. But the logistics of managing even a single rental property yourself require a huge investment of time. Indeed, if you’re not living close at hand it’s essentially impossible.

 

You can outsource the day-to-day running of your holiday property to a management company, but this requires a significant investment of trust and it can be hard to know where you are in truly safe hands.

 

Working with companies as closely affiliated as Property in Sicily and Solemar Sicilia to buy and then manage your villa or apartment means you can approach both parts of the project with greater confidence. You will be buying with the help of people who understand your subsequent business needs, and handing over the keys in your absence to colleagues who have known you and your property from the moment you first set eyes on it. The strong personal relationships which are the hallmark of our family-run organisation and a team with an outstanding track record in both fields allow you to invest with justifiable optimism for the future.