Only 29.31% of Lisbon Airbnbs have smoke detectors

The study, conducted by personal injury experts at claims.co.uk, examined over 236,000 Airbnb listings across 20 major European cities to identify which destinations pose potential safety risks for travellers. A sample of Airbnb listings for each city was taken from the website, and each was checked to determine if a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm were present at the property.

Madrid has the lowest proportion of listings with smoke alarms, with just 26.53% of Airbnbs (2,711 out of 10,218) found to include this essential safety device, significantly below the European average of 61.93%. In addition, only 14.80% of listings included both a carbon monoxide and smoke alarm, making the Spanish capital the worst European city for Airbnb fire safety.

Lisbon ranks second-worst for fire safety, with only 29.31% of the 11,829 Airbnb listings analysed being equipped with smoke detectors. This means over 8,300 listings in the capital lack this basic safety feature, placing visitors at increased risk. Of the 11,829 listings analysed, just 17.41% contained both a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm.

Another Spanish city dominates the top three, with just 30.79% of Barcelona Airbnb listings including smoke alarms. Out of the 7,993 listings analysed, just 15.68% included both smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Together, Madrid and Barcelona account for over 13,000 European Airbnb listings that declare a smoke alarm is not present at the property.

Milan and Athens complete the bottom five cities, with only 33.96% of Milan’s 17,881 listings and 34.13% of Athens’ 15,009 listings equipped with smoke alarms. However, Milan stands out for having a much higher presence of carbon monoxide alarms, with 42.88% of listings equipped, compared to just 17.76% in Athens.

Venice ranks sixth with 38.07% of its 8,724 listings equipped with smoke alarms, closely followed by Rome with 38.68% of its 23,591 listings having a smoke alarm installed.

Florence comes in eighth with 39.21% of its 11,100 listings having smoke alarms, followed by Prague in ninth with a much higher 55.14% of its 6,957 listings properly equipped with smoke alarms.

Vienna has the tenth lowest proportion of Airbnbs fitted with a smoke alarm, at 56.91%, but a low 27.46% of listings include carbon monoxide alarms.

Top 10 European cities with the lowest percentage of smoke alarms

At the opposite end of the ranking, Paris leads with 100% of its 34,416 listings featuring smoke alarms, making it the best European city in terms of Airbnb fire safety. However, Paris has a low presence of carbon monoxide alarms, with only 24.78% of properties including one.

The Irish capital of Dublin follows in second with 90.78% of its 3,482 listings, including a smoke alarm. According to regulation 10(1) of the Housing (Standards For Rented Houses) Regulations 2019, each home must contain a suitable self-contained fire detection and alarm system. Interestingly, Dublin has the highest number of carbon monoxide alarms of any European city analysed at 67.86%.

London places third with 89.26% of its 33,863 listings including a smoke alarm, demonstrating that Northern European cities generally maintain higher safety standards. In the UK, it is a legal requirement for short-term lets to install fire alarms. This is in accordance with the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, which says that hosts must ensure at least one smoke alarm is equipped on each storey of their homes where there is a room used as living accommodation.

Hosts must also ensure that a carbon monoxide alarm is equipped in any room used as living accommodation which contains a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers).

The study also revealed that cities in Germany performed relatively well for smoke alarm presence, with Hamburg (89.23%), Berlin (87.19%), and Munich (87.12%) all featuring in the top seven cities.

Amsterdam places fifth between Hamburg and Berlin, with 88.34% of its 8,017 listings including a smoke alarm.

Brussels ranks eighth with 79.39% of its 3,935 listings equipped with smoke alarms. Interestingly, just 30.44% of the listings include carbon monoxide alarms.

Istanbul comes in ninth, with 72.75% of its 9,612 listings including a smoke alarm. In tenth is Budapest, slightly behind Istanbul, with 71.71% of its 8,817 Airbnb listings featuring a smoke alarm.

Top 10 European cities with the highest percentage of smoke alarms

A spokesperson for claims.co.uk commented on the findings: "These findings raise serious safety concerns for holidaymakers using Airbnb across Europe. The huge difference between cities like Madrid, where a large majority of listings lack smoke alarms, and Paris, where all listings have them, shows how inconsistent safety standards are.

"Travellers should be aware of these disparities when booking accommodation and consider bringing a combined smoke and carbon monoxide detector with them, if they are unsure whether these will be present.

"We recommend always checking the amenities list before booking and directly asking hosts about safety equipment if it's not mentioned. The peace of mind from knowing basic safety equipment is in place is worth the extra effort."