Short-term rentals, managers: 'Good for the database but action needs to be taken on rentals'

A lengthy note from Aigab, the association of short-term rental managers, on the day of the start of the sector reform with the entry into operation of the database (Bdsr) and the request for the National Identification Code. "We consider the Bdsr," writes president Celani, "a step forward to allow the state to measure the number of productive activities in the world of hospitality. We do not regret that there is a national code and a single database to refer to, although we would have preferred this to replace and not flank the regional ones. In Italy we have 20 regional regulations that continue to define in detail (even in the number of forks allowed in a flat) the characteristics for putting a house online'.

Aigab rejects the policy of some mayors who continue to invoke more powers to limit the market and who blame short rentals not only for the depopulation of historic town centres but also for so-called overtourism and the increase in rates. It therefore urges 'public policies on housing for young people and out-of-towners as well as interventions on the traditional 4+4 rental contract, which is now 40 years old and should be updated'.

"We do not mind," says the Aigab statement, "offering high safety requirements to guests, even if the management of fire extinguishers could (and still could, with a jolt of common sense) be simpler. The new measures, including smoke and monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers, introduce even higher standards than the hotel, given that the fire extinguishers are the same as those provided for workplaces: they require six-monthly maintenance, that a person in charge has done a fire-fighting course, and between contents and container they weigh around 11 kg. We believe these are requirements that will make it very costly to be compliant, further raising the cost and complexity of management for Italian families'.

Aigab also dwells on the issue of false information, which could also concern the Cin indicated in online advertisements. "It is now necessary for the municipalities, which are in charge of controls, to take action to unearth those who promote properties online without Cin and to sanction them. To do this, the controls must start by screening the codes on the portals, cross-referencing Cin with those in the Bdsr. Otherwise, it would mean continuing to control those who are already in compliance".
Aigab therefore proposes that "online portals receive the Cin directly from the Bdsr to prevent it from happening, as today with the regional codes, that the clever can enter fictitious codes in the portals and be able to promote their properties undisturbed. Sanctions are extremely important, but they are not enough, in the absence of controls, on those who have always worked underground'.

The association, established in 2020 to represent 500 professionals in the sector, concludes by formulating a series of proposals. "It is important for the government to address the issue of rents in general and on a national level, giving an answer to the mayors of some cities who believe that short rentals are the cause of the depopulation of historic centres and of high rents for students and workers. We say no to arbitrary municipal regulations that are detrimental to the right to private property and competition'.
For Aigab it is also necessary to intervene "by modifying the obsolete 4+4 rental contract, shortening rental periods, guaranteeing owners faster eviction times in case of delinquency, or financing a guarantee fund to support needy families".