Florence is seeking to ban the rental of apartments in the city center through Airbnb, says the city mayor
< p>In Florence, it will be prohibited to rent out housing through the popular Airbnb platform
Florence wants to ban the use of residential properties in the city's historic center for short-term rentals by platforms such as Airbnb (ABNB.O), to free up more housing for local residents of the Tuscan city.
Dario Nardella, mayor of one of the most popular tourist destinations centers in Italy, said his city will push for new regulations at the local level because it considers draft national plans to regulate the sector to be a failure.
Under Nardella's proposal, dubbed “saving historic centers,” the mayor plans to block new short-term rentals and offer tax incentives to encourage more permanent forms of residence.
As in other European countries, a combination of low wages , shortages of real estate, short-term holiday rentals and high inflation have led to a housing crisis, which in Italy is disproportionately affecting low-wage workers and students.
The central government is drafting a bill that would require every residential property rented out to tourists to have a national identification code, allowing it to be tracked and regulated, according to Italian media reports. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in a fine of up to 5,000 euros (more than 500 thousand rubles).
In addition, the authorities of the most visited cities will have the right to introduce a minimum stay in the city center of two nights for short-term rentals
Airbnb did not immediately comment on Nardella's initiative, but said in a statement that it would like to see “clear and simple national rules” in Italy.
“We are concerned that “that the proposals for one-night stays breach EU and national laws and we look forward to working with the government to discuss alternative developments,” the statement said.