As in many large European cities, short-term rentals are putting pressure on the Florentine real estate market. Especially in the city center, the living space is often occupied by tourists. The mayor now wants to act.
In the fight against housing shortages, high rents and tourist overcrowding, the Italian city of Florence wants to ban short-term apartment rentals in its historic centre.
The city wants to use new rules against the “uncontrolled spread of short-term rentals”, announced the mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella. He wanted to protect the city center from “the problem of overcrowded apartments by tourists”. The regulation should not apply retroactively, but should cover future rentals.
The mayor of Florence’s proposal envisages not only the blocking of short-term rentals, but also tax breaks for those who use their apartments for “normal rentals”. It wants to protect “the houses and the historical, artistic and social heritage of the historic centre”. Center of Florence it was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1982.
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Act to regulate short-term rentals via platforms
In Italy, the phenomenon of short-term rentals, for example holiday apartments in the centers of larger cities, has been discussed for some time. According to Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè, the Rome government is working on a bill that will regulate and strengthen the control of short-term apartment rentals through platforms such as Airbnb.
Nardella defined the government’s proposal as ineffective. Santanchè’s proposal, while containing clear and understandable objectives, does not provide the communities with a concrete tool. With the massive real estate tax reduction Nardella plans for three years, they want to encourage homeowners to use their apartments for long-term rentals.
