The boom in short-term rentals has sparked a surge in prices and bookings, prompting cities such as Florence, Barcelona and Valencia to take drastic measures to restore order to the market. In recent years, the growing popularity of short rentals has transformed the European tourism landscape, bringing with it not only new opportunities for travellers, but also complex challenges for cities such as Florence e Barcelona. While these accommodation options offer economic benefits and flexibility to travelers, they have also fueled a dramatic increase in rental prices and a worry depopulation of the historical centres.
This scenario has pushed many cities to look for solutions to try to restore order in a sector that is now out of control. Florence approved one new rule to limit short-term rentals in its historic center, that is, the apartments that are rented for short periods, like the ones above Airbnb. The rule was introduced because many landlords prefer to rent to tourists rather than residents, which drives up prices and reduces the availability of homes for those who live in the city all year round.
The rule was adopted in October , but on July 10, Regional Administrative Court of Tuscany declared it invalid. That's because the rule was approved as a change to the zoning code instead of being included in the operational plan, the official document that manages the city's development. Il City of Florence ha corrected the error and resubmitted the rule. Now, it will not be possible to register new apartments for short-term rentals in the historic center. But, as the opponent Cecilia Del Re says, this rule could last "as long as a cat on the ring road", that is, very little.
In practice, national law could make it difficult for Florence to maintain the new rule for long. Florence it is not an isolated case : many Italian cities are suffering from the impact of short-term rentals, which contribute to the increase in housing costs and the risk of depopulation of historic centres.
Barcelona has decided to adopt a drastic measure to counter the proliferation of short-term rentals. The Spanish city, famous for its tourist attraction, announced that from it will no longer renew the over 10 thousand licenses existing for apartments intended for short-term rentals.
