Florence seeks to ban Airbnb rentals apartments from city center – mayor

FILE PHOTO: A man rows his canoe on the Arno river in front of Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) in Florence, Italy, December 11, 2021. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

ROME — Florence wants to ban residential properties in its historic center from being used for short-term rentals by platforms such as Airbnb in order to free up more homes for local people in the Tuscan city.

Dario Nardella, the mayor of one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations, said his city would pursue new rules at a local level because he regarded draft nationwide plans to regulate the sector as disappointing.

Under Nardella’s proposal, dubbed “save historic centers,” the mayor plans to block new short-term rental contracts and offer tax breaks to encourage more permanent forms of residence.

Nardella is a member of the center-left Democratic Party (PD), which is part of the opposition at the national level.

READ: Airbnb shares fall after probe into unpleasant customer experiences

As in other European countries, a mixture of low salaries, a property shortage, short-term holiday rentals, and high inflation have driven a housing crisis, with low-wage earners and students hit hard in Italy.

The central government is working on a bill, which according to Italian media reports, would require each residential property rented to tourists to have a national identification code to help track and regulate lettings. Those failing to comply would risk a penalty of up to 5,000 euros ($5,500).

Additionally, authorities in the most visited cities would have the right to impose a minimum stay of two nights in the context of short rentals in their city centers.

READ: Airbnb forecasts fewer bookings, lower prices in Q2; shares slump

Airbnb did not immediately comment on Nardella’s initiative, but said in a statement that it wanted to see “clear and simple national rules” in Italy.

“We are concerned that proposals regarding one-night stays breach EU and national laws, and we look forward to working with the government to discuss alternative ways forward,” it said.

($1 = 0.9084 euros)

RELATED STORIES

Women seen driving Airbnb’s growth in PH

BIR going after Airbnb hosts