Italy’s government is planning new rules for short-term rentals such as Airbnb and Vrbo, now subject only to a patchwork of local laws around the country, with a first draft released last week.
The plan is a response to widespread complaints that Italy is running short oof affordable housing due in part to many homes being used for tourism, as well as complaints about overcrowding in some tourism destinations. Florence, for instance, has recently proposed regulations to limit rentals in its historic center.
Among the proposals in the draft are a two-night minimum stay, meant to encourage longer stays and to give hotels a chance at the one-nighters, and a national system of registration and identification code for listings, whether for tiny flats or large villas. The two-night limit would apply in all 14 of Italy’s ‘metropolitan cities’ and in areas with a high ‘tourist density index.’
While the concept of a national framework is widely accepted, affordable housing advocates believe it doesn’t go far enough. Others have pointed out that enforcement may be difficult due to proposed exemptions for large families (at least one adult and three children) and other details.
Italy is the world’s third-largest market for short-term rentals, after only the U.S. and France. Rome and Milan are Italy’s leaders in numbers of listings, with 19,777 and 17,319 respectively.
