Italy’s new ban on self-check-ins for holiday rentals has started off with a bang as Rome police, armed with bolt-cutters, began removing hundreds of the locked key boxes used by Airbnbs and other short-term rentals.
The abrupt enforcement of a national ban announced on November 18 caught many off-guard, as no deadlines or procedures had been announced for the ban, which is allegedly to avoid anonymous rentals by terrorists or illegal immigrants but which is closely linked to recent protests over mass tourism and its effects on local rents.
The boxes in Rome were removed from lampposts, gates and other external structures; police left behind notices instructing owners of the removed key boxes to report to local police offices to retrieve their keys.
In recent years, keyboxes or doors with combination locks have become popular in short-term rentals everywhere, since it makes arrivals easier, without the need to arrange to meet somewhere for the keys. The new requirement for a visual verification of the renters’ identity will mean a return to hosts having to meet guests or arrange a service to handle that chore.
