Owners of short-term rentals for tourists in one popular city break destination face a £350 fine if they do not comply with a new rule being enforced. As the conversation around overtourism and the number of short-term rental properties in popular destinations remains heated, one city has taken action to ban one thing. Authorities in Milan, Italy, have told owners of such properties to get rid of self-check-in key boxes across the city as concerns around overtourism grow.
These key boxes enable tourists to check in themselves when renting properties through sites like Airbnb and Booking.com. They are usually given a code which they enter to open the key box, allowing them to enter the property without having to meet the owner or property manager. While they are convenient, these handy key boxes have been criticised by locals who have called them unsightly.
City councillor Michele Albiani said in a statement: “Self check-ins by guests leads to the improper use of public space for the benefit of private individuals. Furthermore, the uncontrolled proliferation of lockboxes may cause inconvenience for residents.”
The new rule takes effect in January, with fines of €400 (around £350) being dished out to property owners in Milan who break it. Such short-term rental properties have been at the centre of the overtoruism discussion, as residents across Europe complain of soaring renting costs and a shortage of available properties for locals to live in.
Milan isn’t the first city to ban self-check-in key boxes in Italy. A similar rule was introduced in Florence this year.
Short-term rental sites like Airbnb have been blamed by locals in popular destinations in Spain, Italy and Portugal for problems being faced by locals. However, Airbnb says it is not the only party to blame for the issue.
Theo Yedinsky, vice-president for public policy at Airbnb told the Financial Times:”We end up getting a lot of the blame, especially in city centres [but] the reality is overtourism is really driven by the hotels. It is totally unfair.”
Mainland Europe isn’t the only place where such debates are taking place. Locals in Edinburgh have also expressed frustration over the number of Airbnbs in the city amid rising rental costs.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
