Guest houses: What has changed in Russian legislation since September 2025

Starting from September 1, 2025, an experiment on regulating the sphere of guest houses will start in Russia. This initiative aims to streamline the growing short-term rental market and create clear rules of the game for hoteliers and guarantees of safety for guests. But what is a guest house under the new rules? What is a guest house? As part of the experiment, a guest house is defined as a detached building or a separate part of it (for example, a separate entrance in a private house), which is used to provide hotel services. The key difference from an ordinary apartment is its isolation and purpose for temporary residence of guests, rather than for permanent residence of the owner. Requirements for guest houses The experiment establishes uniform mandatory requirements for all participants: 1. Safety: Equipping rooms with smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and first aid kits. 2. Sanitary standards: Compliance with cleaning rules, availability of serviceable plumbing equipment and regular garbage collection. 3. Information openness: Posting information about the owner, accommodation rules and emergency contacts at the reception or in a publicly accessible place. 4. Registration: Mandatory submission of a notice of the start of the guest house's activities to the authorized body. New obligations for owners In addition to meeting the requirements, owners have several new responsibilities.: · Notification procedure: You do not need to obtain a license, but you must notify the local authorities about the start of the guest house. · Guest registration: The owner is obliged to provide the Interior Ministry with information about all arriving guests, as usual hotels do. · Tax reporting: Activities should be conducted in a legal framework, with the payment of appropriate taxes. Terms and geography of the experiment The experiment is designed for a limited period — until December 31, 2027 (there was a typo in the initial condition, the experiment will last just over two years). It will be held in pilot cities where the problem of unregulated rental is most acute.: · Moscow · St. Petersburg · Krasnodar · Sochi · Kaliningrad · Kazan · Yekaterinburg · Vladivostok · Sevastopol Bottom line: The September 2025 experiment is an important step towards a civilized short—term rental market. It will legalize thousands of guest houses, ensure the safety of tourists and replenish the budgets of participating cities. For the owners, this means moving from a "gray" zone to a legal field with new responsibilities, but also with new opportunities for legal business development.