The Italian government has voted to ban self-check-ins at holiday rental properties, meaning that key boxes will become obsolete and should soon disappear from the country’s buildings.
The move was taken to ensure compliance with a previous measure that requires all hosts to forward guest information to police within 24 hours of check-in. With self-check-ins available, owners simply forward pictures of IDs to the police, without actually verifying if the person staying at the property is the same or even how many guests are in fact occupying the accommodation.
“The automated management of check-in and entry to a property without visual identification of guests” means there is a risk it “could be occupied by one or more individuals whose identities remain unknown to the relevant police authorities posing a potential danger to the community”, a statement announcing the decision explains.
According to authorities, the aim is to better monitor who is staying at the properties, considering the increasing number of holiday rentals, also known as short term rentals, not only in Italy but worldwide, and an expected surge in tourism numbers over the next few years “linked to the numerous political, cultural and religious events”, including the Vatican’s 2025 Jubilee, which is expected to bring by itself an estimated 32 million visitors to the Italian capital.
The ban was introduced to “implement stringent measures aimed at preventing risks to public order and safety in relation to the possible accommodation of dangerous people or those linked to criminal or terrorist organizations”, the statement goes on.
The decision was taken on 18 of November and police are now starting to inform holiday rental hosts, for properties listed on platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com, that, from now on, they will have to handle check-in procedures in person, including verifying the identity of the guests.
Besides increasing safety, the new rule has also been welcomed for its effect on key boxes and padlocks, which, according to Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, “disfigure our streets”. Calling the measure “good news for everyone”, Gualtieri told CNN he had been “been hoping for [the ban] for some time, which clarifies and guarantees better prevention of abuse, more effective access controls and an initial brake on unfair competition.”
The nation-wide decision comes hot on the heels of a similar measure taken by the city of Florence amid the G7 summit. In early November, Mayor Sara Funaro announced a 10-point plan that aims to tackle the impact of overtourism, especially in the city’s historic heart, including bans on key boxes and loudspeakers used by tour guides.
