Governments are rushing to restrict Airbnb-style rentals after complaints from locals – and it could change tourism as we know it.
Short-term rental platforms like Airbnb and booking.com were welcomed by tourists when they launched as an affordable way to stay in a city while homeowners could earn extra cash.
But now it appears that locals have had enough, accusing short-term platforms of causing housing shortages, noise nuisance and even the breakdown of communities.
Many city bosses and governments have rolled out restrictions – although no city has outright banned short-term rentals.
Popular destinations like London, Edinburgh, Paris, Czechia and Rome have introduced varying styles of restrictions.
Here is how beloved holiday hotspots are cracking down on the short-term market — click on the city to find out its rules via the interactive map below:
Any wannabe host in the capital needs to be aware of the 90-day rule – often known as the 90-day Airbnb rule although it applies to all short-term accommodation.
It means hosts can let out their property for a maximum of 90 days per calendar year in Greater London after changes to the law as part of the Deregulation Act 2015, the Houst reports.
Trying to bypass the 90-day rule can result in fines of up to £20,000, and it is said to be strictly enforced in London.
The city of love is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world so it’s no surprise that hosting on Airbnb involves various regulations to ensure the sustainability of the housing market and its unique charm.
To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro.co.uk's London news hub.
Hosts need to register their property with the local authorities before listing on Airbnb or other short-term rental platforms.
In addition, hosts can only rent out the entirety of their primary residence for up to 120 days per year. However, they can rent out a room in their home year-round and rent out any secondary residences year-round as well, provided they inform the city.
A primary residence is where you live for at least 8 months annually and a secondary residence is a property where you spend less than 4 months per year.
France is also planning to introduce strict new rules for short-term rentals.
Things have changed for hosts in the Scottish capital after all hosts now need to apply for a licence from the council before letting out their home short-term.
All hosts and operators need to have a licence by January 1, 2025, and fees for hosts start from £120 per occupant for homes the hosts live in – and racking up to thousands of pounds for short-term let properties hosts don’t normally live in.
However, hosts also need to hold or have been given a ‘change of use’ planning permission before applying for their licence, which homeowners for flats in communal stairs are unlikely to get from the city’s planning department.
The Czechian government wants to give municipalities powers to limit Airbnb-style accommodation.
Measures could include a cap on the number of days a property can be rented out each year, and a mandatory minimum amount of space required per guest, Euronews reports.
Homeowners would also need to register the accommodation and guest details on an e-platform called eTurista which would give them a registration number that must be displayed on the property listing online.
The new rules are set to come into force next July.
In Prague, city officials have already taken action to try to stop the nuisance from tourism after locals have reportedly fled the historic Old Town.
The new rules are set to limit the number of tourist apartments allowed in city centres like Prague as officials hope to reduce noise disturbance, according to the outlet.
Data shows that the city had an enormous 21,394 active short-term rentals in 2023 which resulted in the implementation of rigorous rental regulations.
Now, short-term rental hosts in the city need to comply with a registration process and adhere to the rental regulations of the city.
In the city center, only detached single-family homes can be used for vacation rentals, to protect housing affordability for locals.
Outside the center, multi-unit buildings allow short-term rentals but with limits—only 25% of units can be rented out, and the property must have a separate entrance for long-term residents.
Marina Novelli, a professor of marketing and tourism at Nottingham University Business School, said ‘there has to be regulation’ on the short-term rental market as it has ‘span out of control.’
However, platforms like Airbnb or booking.com have not created the problem of ‘overtourism.’
She told Metro.co.uk: ‘While these may have compounded the problem by supplying a service in response to a growing demand, the real problem is in the lack of government policy and planning, inadequate regulation and the challenges of implementing often questionable quick fix solutions, such as the Venice €5 entry fee.’
She said issues around short-term lets are cropping up ‘across the world,’ but banning it outright ‘is not going to solve it.’
While the professor welcomed regulation at local, regional and national level, the biggest problem for officials is implementing the rules and assessing each destination.
And a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work when it comes to controlling Airbnb-style accommodation as the issues vary between cities and rural locations.
She said: ‘There needs to be a balance if a place has overtourism. People from the community are going to be leaving and even the tourism experience is going to be affected. There needs to be a balance of anything that is implemented.
‘In the end of the day, a resident community as much as tourism has a role in the well-being of a city.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
