Crackdown on Airbnb-style rentals after another country brings restrictions

Airbnb-style rentals have been dragged into hot water in Czechia after the government’s plans to crackdown on short-term lets.

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 and noise nuisance for locals.

Many city bosses and governments have rolled out restrictions – although no city has outright banned short-term rentals.

Popular destinations like London, Berlin, Edinburgh, Amsterdam and Paris have introduced varying styles of restrictions.

Now Czechia has proposed to restrict short-term tourist accommodation.

Restrictions on Airbnb-style lets

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 in a bid to curb 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 Praquge as officials hope to reduce noise disturbance, according to the outlet.

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.’

Venice officials have come under fire after introducing a €5 fee charged to visitors at landmarks like the Palazzo Ducale. Locals said the fee has turned the city into a ‘theme park.’

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 prof 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.’

In London, short-term properties can be let out for up to 90-days a year and hosts must register and pay a fee.

In Czechia, the officials have estimated that up to 70% of short-term stays go unreported – equivalent to more than £26 million lost from the coffers annually, Euronews reports.

The move comes after a summer of discontent over tourism in European holiday destinations. It saw a wave of protest in Tenerife, Canary Islands, as frustrated locals called for tourists to go home.

The island officials have now confirmed a new tax, charged when tourists visit locations like the Mount Teide volcano and other rural parks from January 1, 2025.

Barcelona is thought to be the first city to propose banning short-term rentals in 2028, although the plans have not been approved.

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