Cracking down on short-term vacation rentals in Florence due to housing shortage crisis.
Title: Florence's Crackdown on Short-Term Rentals: A Legal Battle Ahead
- Add a comment
Florence's city council has taken a stance against unregulated holiday lets, with hefty fines of up to €10,000 for rule-breakers. However, this new regulation is swimming in a sea of controversy, as it faces a wave of legal challenges.
It's Showdown Time
On May 21st, a municipal register of tourist rentals will see the light of day, part of a strategy to curtail the rapid expansion of tourist rentals amid a severe housing crisis. This act includes the issuance of permits for registered holiday lets, valid for five years and binding to the property and owner, rendering them null in case of a sale. Properties not rented out to tourists for a year will lose their permits, except for those with long-term, non-tourist contracts.
New holiday rentals in Florence's historic center will be barred, a move the city council has been attempting for two years now, but has encountered fierce resistance from landlords. Additionally, safety requirements are being tightened, with carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers a must, while the minimum property size for couples and families is set at 28 square meters.
The Cops are Coming
Local police will be managing a task force to enforce these regulations. Those violating the rules can expect fines ranging from €1,000 to €10,000.
Many Italian residents have been grappling with the scarcity of affordable housing in recent years, a problem intensified in popular tourist destinations like Florence by landlords favoring profitable short-term lets.
The Road Ahead
Mayor Sara Funaro, from the Democratic Party, declared this act's passage a decisive day for Florence, aiming for a city with sustainable real estate markets and rules for short-term rentals. Tourism and economic development councillor Jacopo Vicini anticipated an "immediate containment" of the tourism rental surge and a reversal of the trend within three years due to these regulations, though without providing a concrete basis for this prediction.
In January, Italy's government introduced a national register for tourist lets to rein in overtourism and tackle tax evasion. However, as of late February, only 78% of Florence's landlords had complied, despite facing fines of up to €8,500[2]. Local right-wing groups and landlords associations have announced their intention to appeal Florence's new rules in Tuscany's regional courts[3].
Here's the Rub
Marco Stella, a Tuscan regional councillor and member of the Forza Italia party, accused the new rules of being "oppressive and illegitimate, aimed at discouraging free enterprise and punishing homeowners." Lorenzo Fagnoni, president of Property Managers Italia and CEO of Apartments Florence, deemed the act "an illogical and discriminatory forcing," vowing to oppose it with every possible legal means[3].
Developments to Watch
The legal battle over Florence's new holiday rentals regulations is far from over. Stay tuned for updates and impacts on both the tourism and housing sectors in Florence. What are your thoughts on this move? Let us know in the comments section below[1].
Also Worth a Look
- The demise of Florence's artisans at the hands of tourism
[1] Join the conversation in our comments section below, share your thoughts and experiences. If you have a question or suggestion for our journalists, email [email protected][2] Only 78 percent of landlords in Florence have complied with the government's national register of tourist lets, accessed on 2023-03-10[3] Local groups and landlords associations plan to appeal Florence's new holiday rentals regulations, accessed on 2023-03-10[4] Illegally letting properties in Florence could result in fines of up to €10,000, accessed on 2023-03-10[5] Barring new holiday rentals and eliminating self-check-in keyboxes are part of Florence's effort to address the housing crisis, accessed on 2023-03-10
- The new regulations for tourist rentals in Florence, Italy, have sparked a political debate, with some arguing that they are necessary to address the housing crisis, while others claim they are oppressive and aim to discourage free enterprise.
- In the Italian economy, the tourism sector is under scrutiny, as Florence's city council enforces stricter regulations on short-term holiday lets to combat overtourism and tax evasion.
- Despite the ongoing legal challenges and controversies, Florence's mayor, Sara Funaro, remains optimistic that the new regulations will ensure a sustainable real estate market and improve the quality of rental accommodations for both tourists and residents.
