Prague residents take the housing fight into their own hands

A group of Prague 1 residents who took part in a citizens' assembly on short-term rentals is calling for apartments used for tourist accommodation to be returned to permanent housing.

The group has launched a petition open to people across Czechia, “Vraťte byty k trvalému bydlení!” (“Return apartments to permanent housing!”), calling for tighter enforcement of existing rules on short-term accommodation and new legislation giving municipalities greater powers to regulate it.

The move follows Prague 1's continuing push for tighter rules around Airbnb and other short-term rentals.

The petition calls for stricter enforcement of existing rules, a fully operational e-Tourist registration system to help authorities identify illegal accommodation, and new laws giving municipalities greater power to regulate short-term rentals and impose penalties.

The petitioners say the problem is particularly acute in central Prague, where they claim around 13,000 apartments are used for short-term accommodation. They argue that the conversion of homes to tourist accommodation contributes to higher housing prices and long-term rent levels.

“Short-term accommodation does not only concern Prague 1, but affects quality of life throughout the Czech Republic,” said Petr Rachunek, founder of the citizens' assembly.

The group argues that housing in city centers should primarily serve permanent residents rather than tourists. It points to cities including Barcelona, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris and Florence, which have introduced various forms of short-term rental regulation.

The petition follows a series of meetings in which randomly selected Prague 1 residents discussed short-term rentals with experts, reviewed information, and developed recommendations for local and national authorities.

The organizers describe their citizens' assembly as the first of its kind in Czechia.

Participants were selected through a public lottery using criteria including age, gender, and place of residence, then given expert information and an opportunity to discuss the issue before producing recommendations.

Some participants in the citizens' assembly have formed a new candidate list, Rozhodujme společně (“Let's Decide Together”), for the Prague 1 municipal elections.

The group wants citizens' assemblies to become a regular part of local decision-making, with residents able to work with experts and data before reaching consensus on major local issues.

The candidate list is formally running under Volt Czechia, while the candidates themselves are described as independent Prague 1 residents.

The fight over short-term rentals has become one of Prague's most persistent housing debates. Prague 1, where tourism is particularly concentrated, has been among the districts pushing for tighter controls on Airbnb-style accommodation.

But the housing argument comes with a competing economic interest. Tourism is a major part of Prague's economy, supporting hotels, restaurants, shops, and cultural attractions. 

In the first half of 2026, Prague welcomed 3.83 million visitors, about 1 percent more than during the same period last year. According to Prague City Tourism, international visitors are also spending more and increasingly coming to Prague for culture.

The organizers say they are not seeking to eliminate tourism. “In none of these cities was it about banning tourism, but about recognizing that housing must take priority,” Rachunek said.

For property owners, meanwhile, tighter regulation could change the economics of renting apartments to tourists compared with long-term tenants.

For Prague 1, the debate is increasingly moving beyond whether short-term rentals should be regulated and toward a broader question of who gets to decide how the district's limited housing stock should be used.

Short-term rentals were the first major issue addressed by the assembly. The group says it intends to continue working on other problems affecting Prague 1 after the election.