Italy cracks down on self check-ins for short-term rentals

FRANCE 24 English

Visit our website: http://www.france24.com  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English  Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en

Transcript

00:00These little boxes can be found everywhere, and yet most go unnoticed.

00:05The Airbnb self-check-in lockbox allows tourists to arrive to their accommodation without meeting

00:11the host.

00:12By opening them with a digital code, guests can retrieve the keys to their holiday home,

00:16a practice that the Italian Ministry of the Interior is cracking down on, sending out

00:21a notice banning remote check-in for short-term rentals.

00:25Local property manager Carmela, who runs 130 flats, considers the decision discriminatory.

00:31You can rent a car with remote identification, you can also open a bank account or even interact

00:37with the public administration, thanks to remote identification, so if it's possible

00:42for all these sectors, we don't understand why it's banned for tourist rentals.

00:49They've been prohibited due to security concerns linked to the expansion of tourist accommodation.

00:55In Rome, over 25,000 properties are now listed on platforms such as Airbnb, which has deeply

01:01impacted the local property market.

01:06There are fewer and fewer properties available on the rental market.

01:09This is because many flats have been turned into tourist accommodation, bed and breakfast

01:14or holiday homes, and this shortage of accommodation has automatically pushed up rental prices.

01:23As a result, many families have left the city as they cannot make ends meet.

01:30Between 2019 and 2023, there were 5,000 fewer homes in Rome rented for long-term contracts.

01:38Typically, these are contracts for families or students for the entirety of their university

01:43Some local residence groups are protesting against this, calling for greater restrictions

01:52on tourist accommodation.

01:55The social fabric is disappearing in our neighbourhoods, they are losing their identity, they are being

02:01transformed into mere stopovers for tourists.

02:05An estimated 50,000 families are facing challenges gaining access to accommodation in the Italian

02:11capital.

Category

Transcript

Recommended