Short-term lettings: restrictions are coming to Puglia – the regional government is bringing forward the implementation of European rules

Restrictions and prohibitions. Minimum requirements and quality standards. A minimum floor area for properties in relation to the number of guests. The strict on short-term lets is also being introduced in Puglia and may take various forms. These are set out in the law recently approved by the Bari Regional Council: the region led by Antonio Decaro thus becomes the third to adopt such legislation, after Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, and the first to do so since the European Commission put forward its proposal to regulate short-term tourist rentals. It should be noted, in this regard, that Puglia is currently one of the country’s leading regions in terms of the concentration of short-term rentals: there are now over 45,000 active holiday rentals.

In fact, Brussels’ proposal appears to be the basis for the new law. By replicating the framework proposed by the European Commission, local authorities will, in fact, be at the centre of the restrictive measures. Those with the highest tourist density, together with provincial capitals, will in fact be able to identify through their own regulations ‘zones or areas in which to define specific criteria and limits for the conduct of tourist letting activities, including those carried out on a commercial basis’. Local authorities will be able to take action based on the characteristics of individual urban contexts, assessing the ratio between tourist beds and the resident population, the availability of accommodation for ordinary tenancies, the presence of traditional accommodation facilities, and the effects of the phenomenon on residents’ quality of life.

The possible restrictions are set out in the law. These may consist of ‘restrictions, for certain homogeneous areas, on the operation of tourist accommodation’, ‘the establishment of a specific ratio that must exist between the property’s floor area and the number of guests permitted’, ‘the definition of requirements and quality standards that properties used for tourist lettings must meet, with particular reference to the accessibility of spaces, hygiene and health standards , the decorum of the premises, as well as the provision of connectivity services’. The range of options available becomes, in theory, extremely wide, ranging from bans and maximum limits on short-term lettings in certain neighbourhoods to the imposition of stricter rules on properties authorised to provide this service.

In addition, tourist lettings as a business activity is subject to SCIA. Whereas activities carried out on a non-business basis must be subject to the Notification of Commencement of Activity (CIA). The criteria and restrictions on the operation of tourist rental activities do not, however, apply to activities carried out by hosts (landlords) at their main residence. This provision also derives directly from the proposed European regulation.

Now it is the turn of the local councils: in Bari, Mayor Vito Leccese has already said he is ready to implement the legislation. “This law,” concludes Governor Antonio Decaro, “responds to the many voices asking us to guarantee them the chance to build a future in our region: students living away from home, young couples, those thinking of starting a family – we are listening to those who already have a family and live in rented accommodation, for which they have received an eviction notice.”