Florence, one of Italy’s most historically and culturally important cities, is taking steps to ban new short-term rentals, such as Airbnb or Vrbo listings.
In early September, the relevant authorities in Florence unveiled their plans to ban new vacation rentals, and government officials are soon expected to vote on the proposed legislation. As a result, if the law is approved, it is expected to enter into force next month.
According to CNN, the Mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, said there is a continuous and progressive increase in the number of tourists, a trend that has become even more visible and pronounced after the pandemic.
Moreover, data provided by the city council revealed that a total of 75 per cent of Florence’s short-term rentals are concentrated in just five per cent of the municipal territory, especially in the city centre, known as the birthplace of the Renaissance and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Such data also show that the proposed legislation addresses and mitigates issues within this critical zone.
At the same time, in an effort to encourage long-term rental housing, property owners who convert their Airbnb to such arrangements will benefit from a total exemption from property taxes on the building for a period of three years. However, the law will not apply retroactively.
As reported by the local media, since the announcement of this initiative, about 4,000 new registrations have been submitted. Some of these listings were for properties already operating illegally, while others were from property owners who intended to offer their accommodations to Airbnb in the future.
We are putting a simple ban in the UNESCO area to meet our responsibilities of protecting the cultural and material identity of the Centro Storico and to dampen the effect of rent increases across the entire city – which are directly linked to the boom of short-term tourist rentals.
Florence’s situation is one of many facing such challenges. In Vienna, Austria, a recent city mandate has been implemented to limit landlords from renting out their apartments for more than 90 days a year for short-term periods. Meanwhile, in Paris, France, city officials are set to impose a limit of 120 rental days per year on homeowners.
