Rome and Florence on the attack: changes of use and constraints to limit rents

Differentiated urban planning categories, the obligation to carry out a change of use, and many prohibitions. The latest in order of time is the Municipality of Florence, which has just approved the variant to the Operational Plan that confirms the block on short tourist rentals in the Unesco centre and, almost at the same time, has dismissed a regulation that places a long list of stakes on these activities. A clampdown that is only the latest of many initiatives taken by the administration led by Sara Funaro to counter the proliferation of bed and breakfasts.

In Italy, however, there are many mayors who are taking a similar path. It is precisely from them, more than at a regional or national level, that the political action to sharply contrast the spread of this type of renting in historic centres is starting. The Municipality of Rome is adding to the list in recent weeks, having recently approved and put out for consultation the variant to the technical regulations of the Prg. In several passages of that voluminous text, one can see the desire to limit short leases. For example, a new special residential destination is introduced (A/3, housing for receptive use), and theprohibition to change use from non-residential to A/3 in the Unesco zone is introduced. Above all, however, regulations are announced through which 'changes of use or the establishment of specific activities' will be limited, with particular regard, among others, to dwellings for hospitality use.

The road of urban planning restrictions is the one taken by administrations such as that of Bologna. In that case, a rule of the General Urban Plan created a special intended use (the B3), but also set a minimum size standard for the rented property. The principle is that the change of use is, in any case, a bureaucratic burden to dissuade those who want to rent these properties. A principle that has just been confirmed by the Tar. Venice is also trying to regulate these activities, which has launched a regulation that imposes a series of fulfilments, such as registration in a register and the filing of a Scia, on those who rent out under this formula for at least 120 days a year.

But it is the Municipality of Florence that, once again, is taking the lead in the battle against short lets. A regulation approved yesterday by the council establishes that these rentals may only take place "in civil dwellings of at least 28 square metres, with single rooms of at least 9 square metres and double rooms of at least 14 square metres as minimum surfaces, habitable kitchens of at least 9 square metres, and toilets of at least 2.5 square metres". For those who do not comply, there will be fines from one thousand to ten thousand euro. A Municipal Register of Tourist Leases will also be set up, with authorisations valid for five years. In addition, a task force will set up increasingly capillary controls, also to combat irregular work in these facilities, with forfeiture of the authorisation in every case of violation.

These are all initiatives on which the president of Aigab (the Italian association of short-term rental managers), Marco Celani, has many perplexities: "Municipalities," he comments, "are preventing economic activity from private individuals, making it increasingly difficult and costly, but through rules it is possible to force them to a certain extent". His idea is that this counteracting activity will not produce the desired effects: 'Forcing changes of use is wrong, because these are changes that might not be reversible or, in any case, might be reversible at a high price. Instead of short rentals there will not be 4+4, as many mayors think, but vacant properties will remain'.